Dark Blade: Old Version
by Nakira.Taisho
Summary: Kuchiki Shirayuki, or Yuki, is known as the most talented Shinigami in Soul Society, these are her adventures. BEING REWRITTEN
1. Info

**Dark Blade 0 Info**

**Name**: Kuchiki Shirayuki (Yuki)

**Age**: Roughly 200 years old

**Occupation**: Jyuusanbantai Fukutaicho (Division Number Thirteen vice Captain) in Seireitei and second in power in the Kuchiki clan

**Appearance**: looks to be ten or eleven years old, with a large chest, waist length black hair that has white blond highlights, and blue eyes. Wears, in Shinigami form, the standard Kimono though altered slightly. The kimono is cut similarly to Soi Fon of Nibantai (Division Number Two), and she carries her Zanpakuto, Zenbonyukiro (A Thousand Snowflakes), tied to the back of her kimono with a light green sash, which is made of the same material as Byakuya's scarf. She also wears loose sleeves tied to her left arm with her Fukutaicho crest, though there is a ribbon under that which holds the sleeve on when she isn't wearing the crest, the second sleeve is tied with a blue ribbon and conceals a device on her arm that increases the power of her Kidou attacks exponentially. In her gigai, wears a very simple style, short skirts and loose tops, mostly in the color black. Has a small tattoo on her right wrist, she isn't comfortable having her powers sealed in the usual place, over the heart, so insisted on it being placed somewhere less uncomfortable.

**Personality**: tends to act like a kid but is very smart and can be quite the punk when provoked. Doesn't act like a noble, even with her position, and prefers to be treated like a normal person.

**History**: graduated Shinigami academy early (with Hitsugaya Toshiro), with top grades and worked in Jyuusanbantai until the position of fukutaicho was available, when she got promoted. She is of a captain level, being known for defeating some of the strongest captains in practice fights, but is unable to become a captain because of her brother's protectiveness, and the fact that all positions are taken.

**Abilities**: Good with Kidou, though she can only use up to Yonjyuuban no Kidou (Kidou number forty) without the incantations. Her Zanpakuto, Zenbonyukiro (a Thousand Snowflakes), is a snow and ice type Zanpakuto. In its Shikai, Zenbonyukiro turns into a solid white blade with a snowflake shaped guard, but the blade is soft like snow in this form and upon impact with an enemy, will shatter and engulf the battlefield in snow. This snow has two powers, to heal those who are not enemies and to dissolve enemies upon contact. Yuki can control the snow to avoid her allies in a fight or even act as a shield against attacks. The effect is similar to Byakuya's Zenbonzakura, but with a more painful effect. Zenbonyukiro's Bankai is a strong ice blade as well as the snow used in Shikai. The blade turns anything it touches into ice, and spreads a coating of ice around Yuki as a shield.

**Name**: Zenbonyukiro

**Appearance**: Small, about 5 inches tall, with long, curly white hair, and blue eyes. Wears a pale blue dress with a white scarf that flows behind her, as wings, along with a snowflake shaped pin holding her hair in a half ponytail.

**Abilities**: Zenbonyukiro is the physical manifestation of Shirayuki's Zanpakuto, and is the only Zanpakuto spirit that every Shinigami is able to see. When in Bankai, remotely controls the snow into a shield around allies, which protects and heals at the same time. The only time she appears to anyone except Yuki, is when in Bankai or when Yuki releases her without a verbal command. Does not have a physical voice that anyone other than Yuki can understand, but communicates with others using thought. When released, can analyze the abilities of a Zanpakuto after it's been released.

**Personality**: a lot like Yuki, only she enjoys fighting more. She often questions Yuki for using her power outside of battle. And also gets mad when Yuki switches sides, fighting a friend and then healing them after the fight.


	2. Orders to Move

**Dark Blade 1 Orders To Move**

"Hey, get up. Unless you want to be late for school."

"Onii-san let me sleep. You know I can survive one day without classes." The blanket flies off of my bed and my brother starts tickling me. "Onii-san! Yamete kurasai!"

"Not until you say you'll get up!" I try to get away from him and he holds me down.

"Onii-san! Fine! I'll get up! Just stop tickling me!" Onii-san laughs and walks out of my room. I get up and get dressed for classes.

"Kuchiki-dono, your classmate is here."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Ririn-san." Which classmate could it be? I run out of my room and get to the door. "Toshiro-kun!"

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Kuchiki-san."

"Onii-san! Itekimasu yo!"

"Itterashai!"

"Toshiro-kun, I'll race you to the school."

"Sure." We race and he wins. Watashi ha Kuchiki Shirayuki desu. I'm a student at Shinigami Academy of Seireitei in Soul Society, and my older brother is Kuchiki Byakuya fukutaicho, of the rokubantai. Classes flash by, with Toshiro-kun and I at the top of our class, as usual. We've been good friends since our first day at school and we're both the youngest in the graduating class. Tomorrow is graduation day.

"Onee-sama, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready to head out, Rukia-chan. And I've told you a thousand times that you can call me Yuki."

"Onii-sama knows where you're going right?" I nod.

"Rukia-chan, you don't have to worry about that." I go to the door and wave. "Itekimasu yo."

"Itterashai." I walk to my office. It's not as high up as Toshiro-kun got, but I'm still a seated officer. The only reason I haven't become a captain is that there are no openings.

"Kuchiki-fukutaichosan, you're needed right away in the captain's office." I nod and finish tying my vice captain seal on my arm.

"Thank you for notifying me, Kiyone-san." I walk down the path connecting my office to Ukitake-taicho's office and knock on the door.

"Come on in, Yuki." I open the door and go inside.

"Is something wrong, Ukitake-taicho?"

"Yuki, you're aware of the increase in…"

"Spiritual activity in the real world? Yes, sir, I'm aware of it."

"I just received orders for you from Yamamoto-sensei for you to go to the real world, and keep an eye on things there."

"Yes sir. When am I to leave?"

"Tonight. That will give you time to prepare your family for your departure." I nod.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"No." He looks slightly flushed, but maybe that's just from all the walking to and from the meeting. This morning was the weekly captain's meeting with Yamamoto-sotaichosama. I back out of the room and go back to my own office.

"Kiyone-san, will you locate your fellow third seat and report to my office please?"

"Hai!" Kiyone-san runs off and I roll my eyes. It will be rather interesting to hear how the Jyuusanbantai survives without a vice captain. There isn't anyone available for the promotion right now. It was sheer luck that I was available for the promotion when Kaien-dono died. The two third seats arrive almost immediately after I sit down behind my desk. "Ma'am?"

"Sit down. I need to speak with you both." They do as they're told. "Now. I am leaving Soul Society this evening on orders from Yamamoto-sotaichosama. Seeing as there is no one available to take my position in my absence, you two, as third seats, will have to take on my duties. In order to keep the division in order."

"Hai!" They're both a little dense, but they'll be able to manage. If they stay sober long enough.

"Dismissed." They get up and leave the room. I sigh and start working on my paperwork. Someone knocks on the door and I pause in my writing. "Come in."

"I heard you're leaving." I look up and smile at Onii-san.

"Yea. Did you come to see me off? I'm not leaving until this evening."

"Yea, I know that, Nee-chan, but you'll be busy until then so I figured I'd come by."

"Arigatou, Onii-san."

"Be careful out there." I nod.

"You know I will." Everyone knows that I'm one of the strongest Shinigami, despite my position as a fukutaicho. Onii-san smiles and leaves. He barely has time for me anymore. Ever since Ojii-sama died and he became head of the family, as well as rokubantai taicho, he never has time for anything but work. We used to be able to spend a lot of time together. I finish my paperwork and straighten up my desk.

I walk down the street, staring at the address. I'm supposed to blend in with the humans, so I won't be suspected by any of the more intelligent Hollows.

"Hey, are you lost?"

"Huh?" I look around and realize that I _am_ lost.

"Are you lost?" I nod.

"Actually yes. I'm looking for this address." I hold out the paper and the boy takes it. I notice the color of his hair, bright orange. Does he bleach it like that?

"You're right in front of the house." He points with his thumb over his shoulder at a small clinic.

"Kurosaki Clinic…I guess you're right! Arigatou…"

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Arigatou, Kurosaki-kun. Watashi ha Kuchiki Shirayuki desu."

"Where are you from?"

"Why?"

"You have an accent. I'm just wondering."

"Accent?" He nods and looks at my bags. I had to carry two bags, one backpack and a suitcase, as well as a small bag called a purse, to make this charade work. I'm supposed to be a foreign exchange student starting at the middle school.

"Here. You should get inside before you catch cold. It's pretty chilly out tonight." I nod and Kurosaki picks up my suitcase. "Tadaimasu!" I gasp as he dodges a kick to the head.

"Otou-san, do we have to go through this every time Ichi-nii comes home?"

"Ichi-nii! Who's your friend?!" There are two girls sitting at a table, getting ready to eat.

"Konbanwa, Kuchiki Shirayuki desu." The guy that attacked Kurosaki-kun stares at me for a moment before hugging me. Normally, I would reach for my sword, but I remember that I don't have access to it in this gigai.

"Welcome!"

"Anno…" I wriggle free of the hug and back up. If this is what I have to put up with, I'll face the consequences for abandoning a direct order.

"Dinner's getting cold. Sorry I didn't cook enough for you to eat…"

"It's okay, I ate earlier. I don't really eat a whole lot anyways…" One of the girls, the one with black hair, gets up and walks up to me.

"Kurosaki Karin desuyo. And that's my sister Yuzu. And the idiot old man there is our dad."

"Hajimemashite, Karin-san, Yuzu-san. Anno, Kurosaki-san, where can I put my things?"

"After dinner, you can go up to the spare bedroom and get settled." I nod and they sit down for dinner. My phone rings and I sigh.

"Sumimasen ga, I have to go to the restroom. If you'd just tell me where to go, I can put my things away while you all eat."

"Sure. Upstairs and third door on the right is the restroom. At the end of the hall, hang a right and the spare bedroom is at the end of that hall." I nod and pick up my suitcase. This should be interesting. Kurosaki-kun and his father seem to have very strong reiatsu, while Karin and Yuzu have only above average reiatsu. That means that all four of them will probably sense it when I leave my gigai. I get to the bedroom and pull out my tube of 'Soul Candy'. I pop one of the little pills into my mouth and swallow. I split from my body and face myself.

"Stay in this room. No matter what happens. If they come in, say that you are tired and want to sleep. Keep the light off and stay quiet."

"Hai." I climb out the window and up to the roof. I can sense the Hollow nearby and I run towards it. Before it notices my reiatsu, I cut through it from behind and it disappears. I check the area to make sure that's the only one and go back to the clinic, climbing in through the window of my room and getting back in the gigai. Tomorrow, I'll start classes in the third year middle school class, with Kurosaki-kun. I'm playing the part of a child genius, which is a good role for me considering how I dealt with academy when I really was as old as I look.


	3. School

**Dark Blade 2 School**

"Class, this is Kuchiki Shirayuki. Kuchiki-san, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?" I nod and look at the class. I have to act like a shy kid. All I have to do to do that is remember my first day in academy. I was so terrified of being in a class with the older students, I was speechless.

"K-Kuchiki Shirayuki desuyo. I...transferred here from Osaka…anno…"

"Aren't you a bit young to be in this class?" Normally, that would make me mad, but since I look like an eleven year old, I guess it makes sense. And I'm used to being messed with about my age. I never aged normally, even for a Soul.

"Kuchiki-san was transferred from her sixth grade class to ninth grade this previous term. Kuchiki-san, there's an empty seat beside Kurosaki." I nod and take my book bag to the desk.

"Sugei. Mitte kurasai, Orihime-chan, she's almost as big as you are."

"Huntoni?" I glance sideways at the girls who are whispering, a girl with short black hair and a girl with long brown hair. Then I look down at the desk. This could be a long day.

"Anno, Kuchiki-san, would you like to eat lunch with us?"

"Um, sure…" It's the girls who were whispering about me earlier.

"Inoue Orihime desuyo."

"I'm Tatsuki."

"Hajimemashite, Inoue-san, Tatsuki-san."

"Come on!" Inoue-san pulls me out of the classroom and outside. The three of us sit down under a tree and pull out our lunches.

"So, you're from Osaka, right?" I nod.

"Yea, but I have a horrible memory, so don't ask me anything."

"It makes sense that you're from there. Your accent is pretty obvious."

"That's the second time someone's said something about my accent. I've never noticed it before."

"Do you miss your family?"

"Yes."

"Why did you transfer here? It's a long way from Osaka."

"Anno…" What was the story? Oh right. "None of the middle schools would accept the fact that I was getting bumped up so many grades, so my mom paid for me to get enrolled here and stay with the Kurosaki family."

"You're staying with Kurosaki?!" I nod.

"Yea. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. But, you know what happened right?"

"What happened?"

"Well, how long have you been in town?"

"Just since last night."

"So you haven't noticed anything?" Yea, the strange reiatsu surrounding that family, but I can't say that.

"No." Watch Tatsuki just be talking about a death in the family that was traumatic.

"Oh okay. Just be warned, okay. Kurosaki-kun's mom died a couple of years ago. The whole family is still pretty broken up about it." I nod.

"I know what it's like. My father died a while back too." Technically, so did my mother, but the story is that my mom paid to send me here and I have to stick with that.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yea, an older brother and a sister."

"Really?! Do you think they'll come to visit you?"

"Probably not my brother. He's really busy with work and things back home. He probably barely notices that I'm gone."

"And your sister?"

"I'm not sure. She may, but that depends on if she isn't busy."

"Is she older than you too?"

"Not really…" Rukia-chan is about fifty years younger than I am, even though she looks older.

"So, did you leave any friends behind?" I nod slowly, thinking of Toshiro-kun. Now, I'm the only one he lets call him that. Everyone else has to call him Hitsugaya-taicho, because he doesn't like being treated like a kid.

"Hey, do you know any martial arts?" I nod.

"Yep."

"Cool! You want to come with me to the dojo later?"

"Sure, Tatsuki-san."

"Great."

*Two terms (One year) later*

"Tadaima!"

"You're late!"

"Kurosaki-kun!" Isshin-san kicks Kurosaki-kun in the face once he gets inside.

"You delinquent! Dinner in this house is at seven o'clock sharp!"

"What?! Is that any way to treat your son?! Especially when he just risked his life to help a ghost pass over!"

"I don't care what your excuse is!" ghost? "Anyone who disturbs the peace in this house…"

"Will both of you just shut up?! Dinner's getting cold! And Yuzu-chan spent a lot of time cooking! So shut up and sit down!" Isshin-san and Kurosaki-kun are fighting so I sigh, get up, and walk over to them. I wait for an opening and step in between them, grabbing one of their arms and pinning their other arms with my legs, I look like a spider weaving a web between the two of them. "Stop this idiocy and eat." I release them and they stare at me. This is the first time I've actually broken down and stopped one of their fights like that.

"Ichi-nii, you've got a new one on you." I look back and notice the ghost floating around behind Kurosaki-kun. This is annoying.

"Kurosaki-kun, want some help?"

"How can you help?" I walk over to the ghost and touch his forehead.

"Like this." The ghost disappears and I go back to the table.

"How did you…?"

"I can see them, touch them, and send them to the other side. I've always been able to. So get over it and eat before your food gets cold. Thanks for the food, Yuzu-chan." I walk up to my room and sigh. I pause in front of my closet when I sense a familiar reiatsu.


	4. Rukia

**Dark Blade 3 Rukia**

"Rukia-chan?" she must simply be on a mission. Hollows have been showing up more and more lately and I can't take on all of them at the same time. I shrug and get ready for bed.

_Bip, bip, bip._ I sit up and grab my pager. It's early, but there's already a Hollow on the move nearby. I quickly get out of my gigai and use flash steps to get to the area. Buildings crash and I catch sight of the Hollow.

"There. Got you." I run after it, but when I get ready to hit it, it disappears. "Damn." I run back to the house and get back in my gigai. I have to get ready for school.

"Yuki-san, come look at the news!"

"What?" I get to the dining room and stare at the TV. That's the place where the Hollow was. "I have to be at school early, so I'll see you guys later." I grab a piece of toast and run out of the house. _Bip, bip, bip._ I check my pager and change course. It looks like that same hollow from before. As I run, I swallow a pill and separate from my gigai. "Stay out of danger." I run ahead and catch up to the Hollow. "Kurosaki-kun?" he turns when he hears me.

"Kuchiki-san?"

"You can see me?" he nods and looks back as the buildings explode. Great. A girl runs toward us. A spirit. I can see the chain attached to her chest.

"Onii-san!"

"Run!"

"Kuchiki-san, run!"

"No." I reach back to grab my Zanpakuto and run forward, past Kurosaki-kun.

"What are you doing?! Come on." A black butterfly flies in front of me and I stop. Rukia-chan. She lands in front of me and unsheathes her Zanpakuto. I back up to let her handle the Hollow. I face the girl that was with Kurosaki-kun.

"Are you lost?"

"Not really." I turn my blade around and go to touch her forehead. "What are you doing?"

"Sending you to Soul Society. Don't worry. It's fun there." She nods and I tap the end of the hilt on her forehead. She disappears and I sheathe my blade.

"What the…?" Rukia-chan's reiatsu disappears just as quickly as she appeared.

"Kurosaki-kun. We should get to school." He nods slowly and goes to school. My body should already be there, so I just walk with him.

"You're not going to school dressed like that?"

"Will you shut up? You're the only human that can see me, you idiot."

"Huh?" I sigh.

"Listen. I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but I'm not human. My body should already be waiting for me outside."

"If you're not human, then what are you?"

"Shinigami desu. Don't laugh. It's true. I'll explain better later, after school maybe."

"Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun!" I roll my eyes and get back into my gigai. "Let's get to class."

"Rukia-chan!" I can sense her. She's in the house. Crap and I forgot to explain things to Kurosaki-kun. Damn my forgetfulness! I get up and run down the hall to Kurosaki-kun's room.

"Who…are you?" I hear a sword jangling. She can't be thinking that the vast reiatsu here is a Hollow? "Who are you? What are you doing?!" Tapping as she touches the floor.

"It's near."

"What are you talking about?!" Then I hear a bang as Kurosaki-kun probably just kicked her to the ground. I sigh and walk in, turning on the light.

"Kurosaki-kun, keep it down! The others are trying to sleep."

"Gomen, Kuchiki-san." I shrug and help Rukia up.

"Rukia-chan, daijobu desuka?" She nods and stares at Kurosaki-kun.

"You can see me?"

"Don't be so surprised, Rukia-chan. Your jaw is hanging open."

"Oh! Gomenasai, Onee-sama." I hit her over the head.

"Rukia-chan! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?!"

"Now you're the one going to wake everyone up, Kuchiki-san…" I smile and back up.

"Gomen. Anno, Kurosaki-kun, this is my little sister, Kuchiki Rukia. Rukia-chan, this is Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Little?" I nod.

"Yes, believe it or not, Rukia-chan is younger than I am."

"And I'm supposed to believe the whole Shinigami thing, right?" I nod again.

"Hai. Anno, Rukia-chan. Why are you here?"

"Orders. Same reason you're here."

"Oh."

"Huh?" We turn towards Kurosaki-kun and I sigh.

"Right, I haven't explained yet. We're Shinigami, from Soul Society. You would call it heaven. We are here on orders to destroy evil spirits like the one that attacked that girl earlier."

"And the girl disappeared."

"I sent her to Soul Society. Just like I sent that other ghost before."

"Okay…I'm inclined to believe you, since I saw you earlier…but…"

"What did he see?"

"Me getting back into this cumbersome gigai."

"Oh." I look around and sigh.

"Great." I get out of my gigai and roll my shoulders.

"Onee-sama…what's wrong?"

"You can't sense it? Oh right, you're not used to having to look around this idiot's spirit energy. There's a Hollow outside." Kurosaki-kun starts for the door. "You're staying here."

"No, if that thing's a monster, I have to protect my family."

"Let us do the protecting in this situation, Kurosaki-kun. Bakudo no Ichi: Sai!" I bind Kurosaki-kun and start for the door.

"I don't sense anything."

"Of course you don't. If you want, you can stay here, explain this to Kurosaki-kun, and I'll go handle the Hollow." Rukia-chan nods and I go outside. I can sense it better out here, now that I'm out of the aura created by Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu, but I could sense it while I was in the room. I run downstairs and look around outside. The Hollow shows up and I sigh, drawing my Zanpakuto. I run at it and cut it in half. Another shows up. "What the hell?"

They swarm towards areas with a high concentration of spirit energy. This house currently has two humans with a high reiatsu, one Shinigami, and two humans with an above average reiatsu inside, as well as one extremely strong Shinigami outside. I cut through this one and dodge the sudden attack of the next one to appear. They're coming out like ants from a hill! It lands a good cut across my stomach and shoulder before I manage to cut it down. One gets into the house, destroying the side and grabbing Yuzu.

"Yuzu-chan!" I run at the Hollow and free Yuzu-chan, but he has Karin in the other hand. "Kurosaki-kun! Rukia-chan!" I help Yuzu-chan up and she starts running to Kurosaki-kun's room. I fight the Hollow until I can't stand anymore. "Karin-chan! Damn it!"

"Onee-sama, daijobu?" I nod slightly.

"Yea, this is just a flesh wound. Help the girl." Rukia-chan nods and runs outside to attack the Hollow. Kurosaki-kun falls down the stairs and I stare at him.

"Bakayaro! Get back!" He sees the Hollow and starts trying to break the spell I cast.

"Baka! No human can break a Kidou spell! You'll only hurt yourself!" He manages to break it and runs outside.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Ichi-nii! Run!" The Hollow swings its arm and sends him flying. I try to get up, but I can't move. I've lost too much blood from these cuts.

"Kurosaki-kun!" I can't hear or see what's going on out there. Damn it. I dig in one pocket of my kimono for my pager and open it.

"Urahara Shoten, Tessai desu. Can I help you?"

"Tessai-san, Kuchiki Shirayuki desu. Urahara-san ha doko?"

"Kuchiki-dono. Hold on one moment."

"Hai."

"Kuchiki-san, it's been a while."

"Cut the chitchat, Urahara-san. Do you know where the Kurosaki Clinic is?"

"Yea, why?"

"I'm sure you can sense the Hollow here. It's almost at a Menos level. And I'm injured."

"How bad?"

"A shallow cut on my shoulder, and a medium depth cut across my stomach."

"Can you move?"

"No, I can't. And I can't see what's going on outside. There's another Shinigami here, Kuchiki Rukia. Nani?! Kurosaki-kun! Bakayaro!"

"What's going on?"

"This guy just stepped right in front of the Hollow and challenged it. Rukia-chan!"

"Now what?"

"Rukia stepped in between Kurosaki and the Hollow, getting the blow. That could be fatal."

"Tessai and I are on our way right now. Just don't die on us before we get there."

"We'll try, Urahara-san." The line goes dead and I put the pager back in my pocket. I force my body to move and I stagger outside. Then I see her. "Rukia-chan!"

"Kuchiki-san! What happened to you?"

"Does it matter?" I try to run to Rukia, but fall forward instead. Rukia looks at me and I nod. She's in more danger of dying here than I am. And if she dies, and I can't move, that Hollow will devour every soul it comes in contact with. She'll have to do that. She does. She explains what needs to be done and pushes her powers through her Zanpakuto and into Kurosaki-kun. An absurd amount of energy fills the area, nearly blinding me. And suddenly the Hollow's arm is flying through the air, severed from its body. Then the dust settles and I see Kurosaki-kun. His Zanpakuto is huge! He cuts the Hollow in half and it disappears.

"Kuchiki-san, daijobu desuka?" I nod.

"Get Karin-chan inside and go to bed. We'll clean up out here." He nods and carries his sister inside. Almost immediately after he gets inside, Urahara-san shows up.

"Looks like we weren't needed to take care of the hollow." I nod.

"Kurosaki-kun…took care of it. Rukia-chan needs a gigai. She won't be able to return home until she is fully recovered." Tessai-san picks up Rukia-chan and Urahara-san helps me up.

"How many were there?"

"Total? Three showed up before that one. It was the third one that injured me."


	5. New Student

**Dark Blade 4 New Student**

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Kuchiki-san! Where's Kurosaki-kun?"

"Home, cleaning up. His dad said I should come on to school."

"Ohayo gozaimasu!"

"Rukia-chan! You made it on time! Orihime-chan, Tatsuki-chan, this is my sister, Kuchiki Rukia."

"Hajimemashite!"

"Are you starting here as well?" Rukia nods.

"Hai!"

"Come on, we should get to class."

"Orihime-chan, what did you bring for lunch?"

"You're not going to eat with your sister?"

"You haven't seen her in a while, so we figured…" I shrug.

"She wants to meet Kurosaki-kun. Since he's late."

"Taiyaki style Ramen with Wasabi and honey."

"Sounds great, Orihime-chan! Can I try some?"

"Sure, Tatsuki-chan do you want to try it?"

"No thanks…" Kurosaki-kun walks right into Orihime, knocking her back into me. We both end up on the floor. I wince slightly as the impact hits one of my injuries from last night. The one thing that stinks about having a body, when you go back into it with injuries, the body gets the same injuries. I wouldn't let Urahara-san heal me any more than the minimum, because Rukia-chan's wounds were more important to fully heal.

"Inoue-san."

"Ichigo! You ran into her and that's all you can say?!"

"Oh, are you alright?" He holds out a hand and Orihime-chan gets up and starts stuttering. I get up as well and dust my uniform off.

"It took all morning to help your dad with the cleaning?" He nods.

"Yea." Tatsuki-chan runs after Orihime-chan and I go into the classroom with Kurosaki-kun.

"Are you okay?" I nod.

"Yep. I heal pretty quickly, and those wounds were pretty minor. I'm a bit sore, but I'll survive."

"Hey, I heard your house got run over by a truck!"

"Need some help cleaning up?"

"No thanks."

"You'd probably hurt the house more, Chad-kun."

"Onee-san, there you are! Oh! You must be Kurosaki-kun!"

"You!"

"You've met before?"

"No. this is the first time my sister has met Kurosaki-kun. Right, Rukia-chan?"

"Hai." She holds out a hand and shows Kurosaki-kun the note. _Make a scene and you're so dead._ I almost laugh.

"Anno, Kurosaki-kun, Rukia-chan, can we talk outside?"

"Sure. I've been wanting to talk to you!"

"Ja ne, guys!" The three of us walk outside and Rukia and I face Kurosaki-kun.

"I thought you were going back to that Soul Society."

"Only Shinigami can do that. And because of last night, Rukia-chan no longer has her powers. In the transfer giving you those abilities, most of her power was taken. And I'm on orders to stay here until my captain comes to tell me otherwise."

"Actually, Onee-sama, that's part of the reason I'm here. I was to relieve you."

"Okay, then after school today, I'll prepare to return home. I'll come up with something to report about you, so things won't get annoying."

"Huh? What's going on?"

"I hold an important position in Soul Society. And considering I answer to not only my captain, but also my brother and the captain commander, I'll have hell with paperwork when I get back. A story has to be created to explain why Rukia isn't reporting in at the same time. That's all. Oh, and since Rukia-chan doesn't have her powers at the moment, and I'm going home, you will have to take on the duties of a Shinigami."

"What?!"

"You have the powers, and no right to refuse."

"I refuse!"

"Rukia-chan, I'll leave this to you. I should start working on getting un-enrolled." I walk off and head for the office. "Excuse me, I need to speak with someone about un-enrolling."

"Your name?"

"Kuchiki Shirayuki."

"Why do you want to un-enroll, Kuchiki-san?"

"My sister just arrived to attend the school and my family can't afford for both of us to be here. I'm going to go home and study from home." The secretary nods and hands me a paper.

"Are you in charge of your admission?" I nod and she points at a line. "Sign here and then you can go to your place of residence; you won't have to turn in your uniform." I sign and hand her the paper back.

"Thank you."

"Good luck with your studies." I nod and leave the school. I walk straight to Urahara Shoten and go inside.

"Welcome back, Kuchiki-san. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Do you have any ideas for a story to cover up this?"

"What, your sister giving away her powers? Not a clue. The closest thing to the truth probably, since, no offence, your family tend to be horrible liars. Injured and unable to report in, so you're reporting in for her?"

"That's what I was thinking. Thank you." I leave the shop and take a deep breath. "Home, here I come." I pull out a dagger and stab the air. "Kai!" I turn the blade and a set of doors appear in front of me. I walk through when the butterfly appears and come out in the main square of Seireitei.

"Welcome back, Kuchiki-fukutaicho." I nod and walk to the rokubantai barracks.

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho! What are you doing here?"

"Is my brother in?"

"Yes ma'am." I walk through the area to Onii-san's office and knock on the door.

"Come in." I smile and go inside.

"Onii-san, I'm home."

"Welcome home." Onii-san gets up and walks over to me. He hugs me and I wince.

"Onii-san…that hurts." He puts me down and frowns.

"Sorry." I rub my shoulder and sigh. The wound opened up.

"What happened?"

"Last night, a Hollow attacked. It was pretty strong and it took both me and Rukia-chan to take care of it."

"Is she okay?" I nod.

"Yea, she was injured pretty badly, but she'll be fine."

"If she's injured, wouldn't she need help?" I nod slowly. Kurosaki-kun probably won't go along with everything and that means there will be no one able to…

"Shit. I shouldn't have even left there." But I can't go back to the real world, not without a storm of paperwork and questions. It's a crime to give your powers to a human, or even tell them about Shinigami. If I go back, I'll have to explain why. And if I explain why I'm going back to the real world, both Rukia-chan and I will be executed. I clench my fist and glare at the floor.

"Yuki?" I shake my head.

"It's nothing. I should go let Ukitake-taicho know that I'm back." Onii-san nods and I leave the room. If someone finds out about Kurosaki-kun, I'll have thirty days to try to stop the execution. I know that even though he sees her as a sister, Onii-san won't do anything to stop it if something like that happens to Rukia-chan. I can't believe he made that stupid vow on our parents' graves not to break the rules anymore. I get to my division's barracks and go inside.

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho!"

"She's back!" The entire division is here, patting me on the back and I sigh. This is annoying and I need to change this bandage on my shoulder.

"Give her some room!" Ukitake-taicho and Shunsui-taicho walk through the crowd and they back up.

"Arigatou gozaimasu." I walk towards them and bow.

"You're bleeding. What happened out there?"

"Nothing important."


	6. Ryoka

**Dark Blade 5- Ryoka**

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, did you hear? There's a group of ryoka at the west gate."

"Huh? Ryoka?" Who would want to leave the real world and come here? No way!

"Word is that one of them defeated Jidanbo." I nod slowly. The only person I know of that would be stupid enough to come to Soul Society and try to get into Seireitei would be Kurosaki. But why would he…? To save Rukia-chan! I get up and walk to the door of my office.

"Kiyone-san, handle things here, I'm going to check on something."

"Hai." I leave the barracks and go to the west gate. At least it doesn't require orders to leave Seireitei. For nobles at least. I lift the gate and go out. What the hell happened here? The damage is horrible. I jump over the debris and stare at Jidanbo. So he really was defeated. But it doesn't look like he's injured. He's sleeping.

"Can I help you, Shinigami-san?" I turn towards the elder and smile.

"Yes, I heard that there was a group of Ryoka near here. Would you happen to know who they are?"

"Why don't you talk to them yourself? They're right down the path there." I nod.

"Thank you." I start walking in the direction he indicated and start when I recognize the Reiatsu of the entire group. I break into a run and go into the building where they are.

"Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Orihime-chan? What are you guys doing here?"

"What are you doing here, Kuchiki-san?"

"I should think it's obvious that she's a Shinigami." I hug Orihime-chan.

"Why are you guys here? Where's Kurosaki-kun?"

"Somewhere with Yoruichi-san."

"Yoruichi?! As in black cat with yellow eyes?" They nod.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know her. You still haven't answered my question."

"Oh, we're here to rescue Kuchiki-san."

"So this is where you disappeared to after she came." I nod.

"Yea. I was supposed to report back immediately when she arrived. How do you guys plan to get into Seireitei? If I let you in through the gate I'll get in trouble."

"Anno, Yuki-chan, what's that on your arm?"

"Oh, my Fukutaicho crest."

"Fukutaicho?"

"Yea, there are thirteen squads in Seireitei. Each has a captain, a vice-captain, and seated officers ranked from 3 to 20."

"So the lower the number, the stronger they are?" I nod.

"Yep."

"Kuchiki-san, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun! You're a really brave idiot for trying to get into Seireitei so straightforwardly."

"Yea right. We were almost inside when that one guy stopped us."

"Guy? What guy?"

"Blue hair, white coat, smiling."

"Sanbantai taicho Ichimaru Gin. If he showed up, I'm surprised you aren't dead then. I'm really the only person, besides Yama-jii, that can beat him."

"What's with the thing on your arm?" I sigh.

"I'm a Fukutaicho, Bakayaro."

"Oh, Kuchiki-dono. I didn't realize you would come out of Seireitei to speak with us."

"Yoruichi-san! It's been forever! How are you?"

"Fine. Why did you come out here?"

"I heard that a group of Ryoka were here and I came to see if I was right about who it was. I wasn't expecting to see Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Orihime-chan, or you though. Just Kurosaki."

"You would know things about the schedule right?"

"Oh. Rukia-chan has been transferred to the Senkyoku."

"What? How long do we have left?"

"I think about 25 days. At least, that's what Byakuya-niisan said. How do you plan to get inside?"

"Shiba."

"By Shiba, you mean Kukaku?"

"Yes."

"Scary. I should get back before Kiyone-chan blows something up…"

"Huh?"

"Oh, Kiyone-sanseki, she's kind of over enthusiastic. See ya! Good luck!" I get up and run to the gate. I lift it and go back to the barracks.

"That was quick. Did you find anything out?"

"No. I didn't." I go into my office and sit behind the desk. It's going to be a long week, if they're going to her.

"All fukutaicho are to put on their armband and go to the waiting room right?"

"Orders."

"Kuchiki. You're here?"

"Duh. This had better be really important. Ukitake-taicho has a cold."

"Abarai-kun, Iba-san, Kuchiki-san."

"Hey, Momo-san."

"You're the only one here?"

"Yes…I think so."

"What do you expect, all the captains and vice captains are scattered around Soul Society with their various missions. It'll take at least half a day to gather everyone. Though I can't find my captain anywhere. My head hurts."

"Um, Rangiku-san? I ran into Toshiro-kun earlier…he walked with me to the office and disappeared."

"Great."

"Huh? Who's your captain, Rangiku?"

"That guy Hitsugaya."

"Oh, the baby genius? Scary…" I glare at Renji and Iba.

"Abarai-kun, have you seen Aizen-taicho anywhere?"

"No…I haven't seen him."

"Oh…I think…he's been acting strange…he doesn't tell me what's wrong. No matter how many times I asked…I…what should I do…?"

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. This meeting is probably no big deal too." I sigh. When are they going to come through? It should take them about half a day to get the cannonball ready, we should be seeing them in the morning, I suppose.

"Something bothering you, Kuchiki?"

"Huh? No."

"Did you hear about those Ryoka?"

"Yea, what about them?"

"You were in the real world for a year right? Think you might know them?"

"Nope."


	7. Wartime

**Dark Blade 6 Wartime**

"Alert! Alert! Intruders in the city!"

"What?!"

"Intruders?!"

"Please return to your appointed stations!" We all run outside and look at the sky. "They're here. Looks like the fun's about to start."

"Eh? You know what that is?"

"Ryoka da. They're coming through the barrier."

"How are they doing that?"

"Heh, who knows? Oh! Crap!" The light above us splits into four parts and the lights shoot to the ground. One of them lands near us.

"Should we check it out?"

"I will. You stay here." I run towards the crash and immediately recognize Sado-kun's reiatsu before I get there. There are others gathering. "Let me through!"

"Fukutaicho-san!" The crowd moves out of the way and I run through. I get to the crash site and grab Sado-kun's shoulder.

"Sado-kun. Get out of here before the crowd gets here. Go hide somewhere." He nods and runs off. I sigh and the crowds catches up.

"Where is he?! Fukutaicho-san?"

"No one was here when I got here. They've gotten away. Go back to your barracks."

"Hai!" The crowd disperses and I look back towards Sado-kun.

"Hurry, Sado-kun."

*Couple of Days Later*

"What?!"

"Abarai-kun is in the Rokubantai holding cells, recovering from a fight."

"Crap. I knew I sensed him fighting earlier, but…" Kurosaki! I can't sense him. I get up. "Thank you for letting me know, Kira-kun." I run out of the office and head straight for the holding cells. "Renji!"

"Oh, Kuchiki-san. What?"

"You were fighting Kurosaki Ichigo right? Do you know what happened to him after the fight?"

"Huh? How'd you know him?"

"It doesn't matter. What happened?"

"I stopped them at the stairs. It turned into a fight and Ichigo kicked my ass."

"Was there anyone with him?"

"Yea, a guy from Yonbantai, and some other guy in green."

"No names?"

"No." I nod. I know where to find him now.

"Thanks, Renji."

"They're going to try to save Rukia."

"I know." I clench my fists. "And so am I."

"But, you could get in serious trouble. And it'll be worse for you since you'd be getting in trouble with both the higher ups and your family."

"Heh. This is my little sister we're talking about. I could care less about protocol at this point." I turn and start to leave.

"What are you going to do?"

"What I can to help them. See you around, Renji." I run out of the area and locate an entrance to the underground tunnels. I go down and start searching.

"Healing power? So you guys don't use herbs and stuff to…? Hey, you sense someone coming?"

"Yea. But who?"

"Found you. Oh! Ganju-kun. Eh? Kurosaki-kun!" I run into the room and stare at the damage.

"Hey, you're Yonbantai's seventh seat, Yamada Hanataro."

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho! What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for you guys." I sit down beside Kurosaki-kun and stare at the wounds. "What's up?"

"What's a Fukutaicho doing looking down here?"

"I talked to Renji. He said that there was a guy from Yonbantai with Kurosaki-kun. I figured the best place to look would be the sewers. And here you are. So, who busted the cannonball when you guys got here?"

"Ichigo. Wait, how'd you know how we got here?"

"I spoke with Yoruichi-san before they went to speak with Kukaku-san. She said that they were going to look for Kukaku-san. Anyways. Think you can heal him quickly, Hanataro-san?" He nods.

"Give me one night." I nod and back up.

"I'm surprised you're not picking a fight, Kuchiki."

"And why would I do something stupid like that? You're a talentless loser with a bunch of fireworks in your bag, and Kurosaki-kun's injured. And on top of that, Hanataro-san has the world's most useless Zanpakuto. The only person here that would be able to stand a chance against me is out cold and bleeding."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho is stronger than even the strongest captain."

"Except Yama-jii. He's the only one I've never been able to beat in a fight. But then again, if he was only fighting Renji, this is pathetic. I would have thought he could come out without a scratch. But Renji was in pretty bad shape too, so I guess it took a while for Kurosaki to get used to fighting a fukutaicho. Oh, I should get back up there. If I can, I'll help you guys get through to the Senkyoku."

"Why would you want to help?"

"That's my little sister that you guys are going to try to save. I may not be able to do much without getting in trouble, but I'll do what I can. And what I can do is help make sure there aren't any high ranking Shinigami out there waiting for you on the way."

"How can we trust you?" I smirk.

"I'm stronger than even my older brother, Kuchiki Byakuya. If I wanted, I could challenge any captain I wanted, to get a promotion, and I would win hands down. I'm not a pushover. And I don't think this is right, what's going on right now. Hanataro-san, Ganju-kun, please, help Kurosaki-kun to the best of your ability to save my sister." I get up and leave. I have to get back to my office before I'm missed terribly. I get to the office just in time to see a messenger from Ichibantai.

"Can I help you?"

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, I need to speak with you and your captain."

"Ukitake-taicho is in bed, with a cold. When he wakes up, I will notify him of whatever you need to say."

"Yes, Ma'am. All seated Shinigami are now allowed to carry their Zanpakuto at all times. Second, the ban on full release of Zanpakuto is lifted, as in wartime. The above is the direct order of Ichibantai Sotaicho, Yamato Genryusai-sama."

"Wartime? So it's come to that then."

"Hai."

"Thank you for notifying me. As soon as Ukitake-taicho recovers from his cold, I will let him know."

"Hai." The messenger leaves and I sit behind my desk.

"So it's really come down to that then. I suppose I should get started looking for Ishida-kun and Orihime-chan then. Sado-kun can hold his own."

"Who are you talking to, Kuchiki-fukutaicho?" I look up and stare at Kiyone.

"No one in particular. Is there something you needed, Kiyone-san?"

"Yea, what's that guy from Ichibantai doing?"

"Notify all of the seated officers, we are now under a wartime order. Full release of your Zanpakuto is allowed. Though, if they are spotted in this area, I will handle them."

"Hai." Kiyone leaves and I get up. I can't just sit here. I pick up my Zanpakuto and leave the office.

"Kiyone, if Ukitake-taicho wakes up before I return, let him know the current situation."

"Hai." I leave the area and start hunting down Ishida-kun and Orihime-chan. It looks like they're together. I find them.

"Ishida-kun, Orihime-chan! I'm glad I'm the one that found you guys."

"Eh? Yuki-san."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you guys. I thought it would be a good idea to warn you, captains and vice-captains are allowed to fully release their Zanpakuto now. The commander has issued wartime orders. Huh?" I turn around and face the person that just came up.

"Ah, Kuchiki-fukutaicho, looks like I won't have to deal with these Ryoka after all."

"Shit. Guys, get out of here. Head for the white tower."

"Helping them? That's a capital offence."

"Wanna challenge that, Ichimaru-taicho?"

"Scary. Just like Rokubantai Taicho."

"It's a Kuchiki thing. How about we forget this happened eh?"

"Well, considering it's your sister involved, they're here to get her out of her sentence, after all, it can't be let go." I roll my eyes.

"She may be my sister, but I know for a fact that…you know what? I'm not gonna waste my breath on you. If you want to go after them, you'll have to get through me first."

"Really? That's a scary thought." Ichimaru starts forward and I reach back, grabbing the hilt of my sword.

"Heh. You don't want to get into a fight with me, not when we've just been allowed full release of our Zanpakuto."

"Again, you're scary, for a kid."

"Kid? Really? That again? I'm so tired of being called a kid that I could hurl." Ichimaru reaches for his Zanpakuto and I start to unsheathe mine, then I stop. "You know what? You're not worth it. Have fun trying to fight them. You'll get your ass kicked, and I'll laugh my ass off then." I use Shunpo and search for Sado-kun. It's getting late, I sigh and head home.

"You're home early. Get finished with things early?" I nod at Onii-san and hang my Zanpakuto next to his. "Onii-san, you're really not going to do anything to protect Rukia-chan?"

"I can't help it."

"Yea, yea, that stupid vow you made. But you also promised _her_ that you'd protect Rukia-chan no matter what. And besides…"

"Nee-chan, stop. I feel bad enough about this as it is. Oh, there's a possibility that those Ryoka are people you know. Would you be able to…?"

"Fight them? Hell no. And I have no intention of fighting. Except to help Rukia-chan."

"Nee-chan, if you…"

"What? Get in the same position as Rukia-chan? What'll you do? Nothing. Because of that stupid vow."

"I wouldn't be able to keep that vow if it were you."

"And what makes me so different from Rukia-chan?! The fact that we're blood and she's just adopted?! That's stupid, Onii-san. What you would do for one sister is good enough for the other. If I ended up in the same position as Rukia, and you tried to stop it, I wouldn't accept that. Because you're not doing anything for Rukia-chan. She's our sister too." I run to my room and lock the door.

"Nee-chan let me in."

"Go away! And why was Renji in a cell? Shouldn't he be in the Yonbantai barracks?"

"He acted on his own, and lost."

"So? You're being such a jerk lately, Onii-san."

"Just open the door."

"No. Leave me alone, Onii-san."

"Nee-chan. Come on. Let me in."

"No."

"Please?" I sit down and ignore him.


	8. The Death of Aizen

**Dark Blade 7 The Death of Aizen**

"Agh!!!"

"What was that?"

"It came from the east Daishyouheki!"

"That's Hinamori's voice…!" We all run out of the meeting room towards the scream.

"What's wrong, Hinamori-kun?"

"What…" We turn the corner and stop. I stare at the figure on the wall.

"Aizen-taicho…"

"Ah…Ah…Aizen-taicho!!!"

"Hinamori-kun, calm down."

"Momo, calm down." Kira-kun and I try to calm her down. This is bad. The first suspects will be the Ryoka.

"Something wrong, Kuchiki?"

"No. We should get him down from there…" Momo's still freaking out.

"What's going on? Who's screaming so early in the morning?" Ichimaru-taicho…Momo turns around, suddenly pissed. Uh-oh. This is really bad, if this turns into a fight…shit.

"It was you!" She runs towards Ichimaru-taicho, drawing her Zanpakuto. Kira-kun responds immediately, getting in front of his captain and blocking Momo-san's attack.

"Kira-kun! Why?!"

"I am the Sanbantai no Fukutaicho! I don't care what your reason is. I can't allow you to raise your sword against my captain!"

"Kira-kun, move aside."

"I can't."

"Move aside. Move!"

"I can't!"

"What part of 'Move aside', don't you understand?!"

"What part of 'I can't', do _you_ not understand?!"

"Burst, Tobiume!" Oh no. If it weren't for the fact that Kira-kun can handle himself. The area explodes with her attack. Shit. This is really bad.

"How dare you release your Zanpakuto like that? How shallow! Think about what you're doing right now! Don't mix personal feelings with official business, Hinamori-fukutaicho!" She attacks Kira-kun with Kidou and he dodges, causing the attack to hit the wall. "If you insist…I guess I have no choice…but to treat you as an enemy! Lift your head, Wabisuke!" Shit. I draw my Zanpakuto and step between the two of them. Toshiro-kun acts at the same time, blocking Momo.

"Don't move."

"Toshiro-kun…"

"Hitsugaya-kun…"

"Restrain them, both of them." Iba and Rangiku hold down Momo, and I help Hisagi restrain Kira-kun.

"Were you…planning on killing Hinamori?"

"Ah? What do you mean?"

"I'm warning you. If you make Hinamori shed even a drop of blood…I'll kill you."

"My, my, my…what a terrifying thing to say! If you feel that way, I'd better help make sure she doesn't get close to any bad guys."

"Take Hinamori to her division's holding cells." Iba and Rangiku pull Momo off and Hisagi and I release Kira-kun. I pick up my Zanpakuto and slide it in the sheathe.

"Kira-kun, are you okay?"

"Yea."

"Yuki, what are you doing here?"

"We all came to investigate the scream. And I was doing the same as you, Toshiro-kun, stopping the fight."

"Taicho da."

"Yea, yea. We're aware of that, Toshiro-kun." He twitches, but drops it. Everyone knows that I always call him that. I have since school.

"I guess that once the others get back, we can start the meeting." Kira-kun and Hisagi nod before walking back to the meeting room. I start after them.

"Yuki."

"What, Toshiro-kun?"

"You spent a lot of time in the real world right?"

"Yea."

"You realize that the Ryoka will be suspects." I nod.

"Yea, but I know that none of them would do something like this. It's completely unprovoked. And the only one stupid enough to try to fight a captain would be Kurosaki. And he's injured from that fight against Renji."

"How do you know that? Do you know who they are?" I nod.

"Yea."

"That could be bad for you."

"I know what my limits are."

"Listen, Yuki. Ichimaru said something about you at the meeting earlier. Did you help a pair of the Ryoka escape from him the other day?"

"Yea. Well, they ran."

"He said that you told them to leave, and then challenged him."

"Yea, well. Ichimaru-taicho's been looking for a way to bring me down for a while."

"That's why you should be careful how you act. Especially if you know them."

"Thanks for the warning, Toshiro-kun. Listen, I know you're worried about both me and Momo, but, I can handle myself. No worries, okay?"

"Yea. I'll get someone from Yonbantai to get Aizen down from there." I nod and start for the meeting.

"Toshiro-kun?"

"What?"

"Were you serious about what you said to Ichimaru?"

"Yea. The same goes for you."

"Heh, you know that Kenpachi is the only one that has ever been able to get a hit in. No worries there." Toshiro-kun nods and I go to the meeting.

Oh crap. Sado-kun is fighting against Shunsui-taicho! I run towards the fight and cover my face as the wall explodes. I look through the hole and gasp.

"Oh my." And Kurosaki is fighting against Kenpachi. That ought to be an interesting fight. I'll have to ask Yachiru about it later. I walk through the hole in the wall and look around. "Looks like you're having to move around, Shunsui-taicho."

"Oh, Kuchiki-fukutaicho. Looks like I can go then. Come on, Nanao-chan." He turns to leave and I sigh.

"Hello, Sado-kun."

"Kuchiki-san."

"You're taking the long way to Senkyoku?"

"Huh?"

"Through Hachibantai's area…it'd be easier to go around a different way than straight through. You'll get your ass kicked."

"Thanks for the warning, but I'm doing fine going straight through."

"Eh?" Finally, Shunsui-taicho turns and stares at me. "You know this guy?" I nod.

"Yea, a classmate. Well, I guess it's unavoidable anyways." I sigh and reach for my Zanpakuto.

"Should I be worried about whom you'll be aiming at?"

"Nope. Gomen, Sado-kun. Nanao-san, you might want to go ahead and call for a team from Yonbantai. By the time they get here, I'll be done." I wink and pull out my Zanpakuto. "Dream, Zenbonyukiro."

"Uh-oh." I sigh and run forward, swinging my sword at Sado-kun. He blocks with his arm and the blade shatters.

"Sorry about that."

"No worries. It's supposed to do that." I jump back and get out of the snow that starts falling. The snowflakes cut Sado-kun up and I sigh, sheathing my sword. Sado-kun falls forward, bleeding. After a few minutes, a team from Yonbantai shows up. "Put him in the holding cell once you're done treating him." He'll escape, but it'll put him closer to Senkyoku.

"I'm surprised you would do that, Kuchiki-san."

"Heh. I hate to look at a friend as an enemy. But I guess it's unavoidable, since you stuck around."

"Oh? If you wanted to help him, you should have waited till I was totally gone."

"Really?"

"You're devious. If he gets out of that holding cell, he'll be even closer to Senkyoku. You realize that if it comes out that you're helping them, you can end up in the same position as Rukia-chan?"

"I'm aware of that. But I think there's something going on behind the scenes here. If I can figure that out and prove it, it'll let all of us off." I turn and leave. I have to do something. There's no way I'll be able to handle not being able to help with anything.

"Kuchiki-san!"

"Yoruichi-san! What are you doing?"

"Ichigo is fighting against Kenpachi. Are you going there?" I nod.

"Yea, even I have a hard time against him. Kurosaki-kun is the strongest out of the entire group, and still getting stronger. He's already at a Captain level if he can control that damn Reiatsu of his." It doesn't look like the fight's started yet. We get there and I watch. Kurosaki-kun is running away, but he keeps getting caught by Kenpachi. "Kurosaki-kun! Kenpachi-kun!" I jump into the area and wave at them. "Yo."

"What are you doing here, Yuki, besides interrupting this fight?"

"Eh?! Looks more like Kurosaki-kun is running away. You sure it's not a game of tag? If that's the case, then Yachiru-chan and I should join in! A game of tag sounds fun!"

"What are you talking about?" I roll my eyes.

"Kenpachi-kun, you're in a grouchy mood today. Disappointed in my weakling friend?"

"Friend?" I nod.

"Yep."

"Weakling?"

"Kenpachi-kun gave you a free shot right? How come he's not cut? Obviously, you're a lot weaker than even I thought."

"Kuchiki-san, you're pushing it."

"Nani? Challenging me? Maybe you can manage to dodge my attack?"

"Hey, my fight."

"Yea, yea, we both know that you're bored. Go cool off and I'll fight you later. I've got some pent up stress to let out."

"Kuchiki-san, I thought you were helping?"

"I am. Get out of here while you have the chance. If you fight Kenpachi without knowing your own strength, you'll get killed. Unless of course, you want to test your strength against him. Then by all means, I'll get out of the way."

"Heh, you're so confident, Yuki. Why don't you take him on?" "Huh. Might be fun. How about it, Kurosaki-kun? Let's play."

"Play? You guys are crazy." I shrug and back up.

"Really? You sound confident all of a sudden, Kurosaki-kun, do you think that because I'm a girl and a Fukutaicho you can beat me? You'd probably end up hurt even worse if you fought me than Kenpachi-kun. Hey, tell you what, you're in a pool of generosity today, I don't usually let someone take a whack at me before I get my sword."

"What? I'm not gonna attack you. One, you haven't got your sword out, and two I'm not about to hit an unarmed girl."

"Who said I'm unarmed? I have both of my arms perfectly intact, much to your disadvantage. Either way it goes, Kenpachi-kun is the only one that's ever made me bleed. You won't be able to cut me. Huh. You're not going to? Oh well. Then I'll make the first strike." I lift my right hand and aim at Kurosaki-kun. "Hadou no Ichi. Byakurai." Lightning flies from my hand, twice as powerful as the usual attack, at Kurosaki-kun. He blocks it with his sword. "Oh, that your Shikai? Nice. What's your Zanpakuto's name?"

"Zangetsu."

"Really? That's interesting. Looks like it's a Kidou base. Well, how bout I show you _my_ Shikai?" I draw my Zanpakuto and smirk. "Dream, Zenbonyukiro."


	9. Zenbonyukiro

**Dark Blade 8 Zenbonyukiro**

"Eh? What's up with your sword? It's white." I sigh.

"You'll see." I run at him and he blocks my attack with Zangetsu. I smirk when the blade shatters.

"Huh?" Snow starts falling.

"Zenbonyukiro, a thousand snowflakes. I'm the strongest Shinigami you'll encounter, besides the commander. My Zanpakuto's ability has been ranked as the most dangerous and beautiful of the Snow and Ice types." Kurosaki-kun winces when the snow hits him. "Painful huh? Looks like I can't help this. If you're still standing after that, then I guess you can take on Kenpachi-kun. Ja ne." I seal Zenbonyukiro and jump out of the way. "Have fun, Kenpachi-kun! Oy! Kurosaki-kun! Stay alive! We'll play some other time!" I run off and go to Senkyoku.

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho! What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Checking in. The Ryoka seem to be getting closer and closer. And they're pretty strong."

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, Ichibantai Sotaicho Genryusai-sama requires your presence immediately." I turn and face the messenger.

"Fine." I use Shunpo to get to the Ichibantai office and knock on the door.

"Yamamoto-Taicho, you wished to see me?"

"Ah, Kuchiki-fukutaicho, come in." I go into the office and bow.

"It would appear that there is now an opening for a new captain."

"Sir?"

"With the death of Gobantai Taicho, Aizen Sousuke, there is an opening for a captain over Gobantai." I stare at Yama-jii.

"I don't understand why _I_ am required."

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, all of the captains, including myself, have been waiting for you to either force your way into the position of captain, or for there to be an opening for your promotion. The moment the problem with the Ryoka is resolved, you will report back to me and things will be arranged for your promotion. Though, in light of this, you are also a suspect." I nod.

"I understand, Sir. Though I'm sure that everyone who has seen me fight would agree, it is not my style of fighting to kill someone without provocation."

"Either way, you will be under investigation. This is also in light of the reports I received from Ichimaru-taicho, that you have been seen assisting the Ryoka." I nod.

"Wakarimashita." Yama-jii nods and I back out of the room. A promotion? But that would give me a motive to kill Aizen-taicho. And I'm also under investigation in regards to my affiliation with the Ryoka. How annoying can this get? I sigh and go to check on Ukitake-taicho. A messenger is there. Letting him know about the murder.

"What?!"

"Ukitake-taicho! Are you okay? Thank you for delivering the message. You can leave now."

"Ah, Hai, Kuchiki-fukutaicho."

"Mataku ne. Ukitake-taicho, you shouldn't get so excited when you've just started to get better."

"Aizen was killed? By who? Why?"

"Calm down. We don't know who did it yet, or why. Honestly, you're flushed. Did you just wake up when that messenger showed up?"

"Looks like there's an opening for you though. That's good, in a way."

"It's not good. Because of that, I'm a suspect. And so are the Ryoka."

"Oh, have you been investigating them?"

"No need to investigate them." I get an ice pack out and hand it to Ukitake-taicho. "You should take it easy for a while."

"Why isn't there a need to investigate them?"

"Because, I know them. They're my friends. And I'm under investigation."

"Friends? Who are they?"

"Classmates, from my stay in the real world. Oh."

"What?"

"Onii-san…he's at Senkyoku."

"I wonder why." If Onii-san's…Ganju-kun and Hanataro-san!

"Moushiwake Arimasen, Ukitake-taicho, I have to go."

"Yuki?" I get up and leave. "Oy, Yuki, if you're going to do what I think you're going to do, you can't do that. Especially if you're under investigation."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I only plan to stop Onii-san from killing anyone. If he's at Senkyoku that means that someone made it there. And if that's the case, I know who it is and they'll be preparing to leave with Rukia-chan. It's stupid for them to try anything. And it's stupid for me to try anything."

"If you insist on going there, then wait a second." Ukitake-taicho gets up and goes to the other room, to get into his uniform, I assume. I sigh and wait for him. After a moment, he comes out and we start for the Senkyoku. "So, they're here to save Rukia-san?" I nod as we get there.

"Ganju-kun!" I run over, unsheathing my sword. "Dream…"

"You're going to raise your sword against Byakuya?!"

"No. Zenbonyukiro!" I hit the blade on the roof and control the snow to protect Ganju-kun from Onii-san's attack. At the same time, I use the snow to heal Ganju-kun's wounds. "That's enough, Onii-san!" He pulls his sword back, sealing it. Satisfied, I seal my sword and sheathe it as well. "Ganju-kun, Hanataro-san, leave."

"Oh…Onee-sama! And Ukitake-taicho."

"Don't you think that was a bit much, releasing your swords in a place like this…?"

"Wartime exemption. But still. Onii-san, even if Ganju-kun is from the Shiba clan, he's a pushover. I'm not letting you kill anyone, sorry." Oh! Kurosaki-kun!

"Wh-what is this? Such a strong Reiatsu…it's clearly at the level of a captain! But I don't recognize this person…who is he? Where did he come from?" I sigh and jump off the roof.

"Good of you to make it out of that fight alive, Kurosaki-kun!" He lands in front of Rukia-chan and laughs. He's bleeding. He must have opened one of his wounds. Great, this is gonna turn into a fight, I can tell. "You're such an idiot, you know that? You're making more trouble than it's worth, Kurosaki-kun. Oy! Ganju-kun! Hanataro-san! I told you to get out of here." Ganju turns and runs away, so does Hanataro-san. I sigh and pull out my Zanpakuto. "You realize that to keep my lunatic brother from killing you, Kurosaki-kun, I'm gonna have to knock you out or worse? You're a pain in the rear."

"What? You're going to attack again?"

"Yea, but this time, I'm not going easy on you. Considering I was trying to prove a point before. But hey, if you survived, Kenpachi, I guess I don't have to hold back huh?" I swipe my sword through the air. "Let's play, shall we?"

"You honestly think I'm gonna fight a girl?"

"You saying I'm weaker than you? Because I'm a girl? Don't make me laugh." Ukitake-taicho and Onii-san back up and hurry to the other end of the bridge. "Heh." I lift my arm and switch hands with my sword. "And look at you; you're still bleeding from before. Konno Baka."

"Look, Kuchiki-san, I don't want to fight you…"

"No, but you want to fight my brother. And…you see, even if we are friends, to me, family comes first. I'm not letting you get to Onii-san."

"You realize, you're contradicting yourself."

"On what? I'm perfectly clear on everything."

"Really?" I sigh and get ready to release my sword.

"Listen, Kurosaki-kun, I'm not one much for conflict, but…if you force me to fight you, I will. If you want to take a whack at me first, I'll let you. Though you'd be dead after the first hit."

"You think so?" I sigh and get ready, aiming my fist at him, like I plan to use Kidou again.

"Ichigo! Run!"

"Eh? What are you talking about?" I sigh and lower both my arm and my sword. "Looks like I won't have to do anything. Oh, that's a bad idea, for you to be just sitting there like a lunatic, Rukia-chan." I turn to leave just as Yoruichi-san shows up. "Ja ne. Ukitake-taicho, you're overdoing it again…you'll get sick again at this rate."

"So, you're just leaving?"

"You'd stop a fight if it ensued anyways, Yoruichi-san. There'd be no point in trying to fight. Hey, Kurosaki. Word of advice, you want to be able to fight against someone at a captain level without getting cut up like that? Master Zangetsu-san's Bankai." I walk down the bridge and sheathe my sword. I get to the end and wave at Kurosaki.

"Hey! Where are you goin!?"

"Does it matter?" I look over my shoulder at him and even Yoruichi-san winces at my glare.

"Ah, no."

"You should get some rest; maybe we can play some other time, when it's not like this. Ja ne. Ukitake-taicho, we should get going. Anno, you too, Onii-san. I don't think that Yoruichi-san is going to let him do anything." The two captains nod and we leave.

"Nee-chan, what were you thinking?"

"It's pointless to attack an unarmed man, even from the Shiba clan, with your Zanpakuto released. And on top of that, he was already injured."

"You're using that as an excuse to help them."

"I said already, family comes first. Whether you act like you care or not. See you at home." We part ways and Ukitake-taicho and I go back to his office.

"You're scary sometimes, you know that?"

"I've noticed. Though I don't see why people think I'm scary."

"You haven't noticed why you're scary? Oh, I have an idea, but it won't work until they start the execution." I nod slowly.

"How am I scary? I don't get it."

"First you don't want to fight, but you'll run up and challenge Kenpachi to a fight just for the fun of it, and you get really defensive…"

"Really? I guess it's hard to notice personal traits like that. Oh! What was your idea?"

"You'll see." Huh? A butterfly flies into the room and lands on my shoulder. I gasp at the message. "What? What's the message?"

"The execution…it got pushed up."

"How long?" I shake my head. "Kurosaki won't have enough time to learn and master Bankai before then. That's the only way that he'd be able to help. Oh, if I get that promotion, who'll be the new vice captain in my place?"

"Don't know. Probably no one." I sigh.

"That sounds about right."


	10. Investigation

**Dark Blade 9 Investigation**

"We have less than three days."

"What?"

"You heard me, Yoruichi-san. You're lucky I can fully conceal my Reiatsu. I'm under investigation."

"Then you shouldn't be here."

"Yea, well, my excuse for this wandering around is investigating the Ryoka. There won't be enough time for Kurosaki-kun to fully heal, and then learn Bankai."

"You'll stop him before he can fight Byakuya right? Why bother?"

"Because. I want to see Zangetsu-san's Bankai. Oh! You're awake! Hi, Kurosaki-kun!"

"What are you doing here?!"

"Calm down, I'm here to heal your sorry ass."

"What's that supposed to mean?! You're the one that inflicted most of these cuts anyways!"

"You want another wound? Cuz I can easily break your neck. Just shut up and let me heal you."

"How are you gonna do that? You're not from Hana's squad."

"That doesn't mean anything. Just watch, I'll explain as we go." I unsheathe Zenbonyukiro and release her.

'_What are you doing? You only ever release me when you're in battle. I don't see any enemies here. Unless you're about to attack that guy right there. Which, I don't think that's fair, considering the fact that he's bleeding.'_ I sigh.

"Hey, what are you doing? I thought you said you were going to heal me?!"

"Shut up. Both of you. Honestly." I stab the ground with the tip of the blade and control the snow that appears around Kurosaki-kun, healing him.

'_Ah, I see now. You were utilizing my healing power. Why didn't you say so in the first place?'_

"I should get going, before anyone catches up with me. Oh, I think that Ganju-kun and Hanataro-san got caught and are now in the Yonbantai holding cells, along with Sado-kun. Ishida-kun and Orihime-chan, however, I have no idea. It seems they've smoothly avoided conflict." I leave, sheathing Zenbonyukiro on the way. This is going to be a pain in the rear. I can feel it. Oh! Ishida-kun's fighting someone. Perhaps I should go to investigate? I nod to myself and run towards the fight. Oh! Kurotsuchi-taicho's the one fighting him. It should be interesting. A guy runs past me, carrying Orihime-chan. That guy's from Jyuuichibantai!

"Sorry!" I step in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

"Um…Kuchiki-fukutaicho…running away?"

"From what?"

"Guy in glasses, fighting Kurotsuchi-taicho…he had a bow and arrow, said he'd shoot me if I didn't run with the girl…"

"Really? Did he say _why_ you, of all people, Makimaki-jyuuseki were the one to do that?"

"I was the only one alive there…"

"Really? That's a surprise. I suppose you're taking this Ryoka to your vice captain and captain?"

"Um, yes Ma'am." I cross my arms.

"Well, because I am here, you may leave this Ryoka with me, and return to your barracks."

"Uh, yes, Ma'am." He hands Orihime-chan to me and runs away, terrified. I sigh and head for my office. He knocked her out. I wonder if she was struggling to help Ishida-kun. I get to the office and Kiyone stares at me.

"Don't stare, Kiyone. Have Sentarou-sanseki assist you in prepare one of the holding cells."

"Ah, Hai." Kiyone runs off and I sigh.

"Huh?" Ishida-kun's Reiatsu spikes and I look in the direction of the fight. What's going on over there?

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, the holding cell is ready."

"Thank you." I carry Orihime-chan to the cell and set her on the bed. When I leave, I lock the door and wait for her to wake up.

"Huh? Where am I?"

"Jyuusanbantai holding cell number three."

"Kuchiki-san! Why am I here? Why are you here? What's going on? What about Ishida-kun?"

"Calm down. I'm here, because this is the division I am the vice captain of, you are here because I brought you. And Ishida-kun is fine, fighting against Kurotsuchi-taicho. Because of circumstances, I am required to place you in this holding cell until the commander deems that the problem is over."

"What about Ishida-kun?"

"He'll be fine. If he survives against Kurotsuchi-taicho, he will be treated by the fourth division and placed in a holding cell there. Sado-kun is also in the Yonbantai holding cells."

"What about…?"

"That is the limit of what I can say to you. You should take this time to heal Tsubaki-kun. It will take a lot of time to do, and you have that time."

"Yuki-chan…"

"Please, here, refer to me as Kuchiki-san." I leave when I see Orihime-chan nod. Now to take care of Ishida-kun, it feels like the fight is over. "Kiyone, station someone to watch the holding cells. I doubt that our charge will attempt an escape, but we can't be too careful."

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, you said that you're friends with the Ryoka. Why are you acting like this?"

"I am under investigation because of the friendship. In light of my position, both as a Shinigami and in my family, I cannot afford to show any wavering loyalty here. And if she asks why I'm acting the way I am, explain to her about the investigation. I have things to take care of."

"Hai." I leave and head towards the stairs to Senzaikyuu. There. "Ishida."

"Kuchiki-san. You seem to appear randomly here."

"I have a knack for that. Stop moving. It looks like you were poisoned by Kurotsuchi-taicho's blade. Under the circumstances, I can't let you go, but there's another captain at the top of the steps, planning to kill any Ryoka that make it to the top. Sit down and I'll call for a squad from Yonbantai." I send out a message butterfly and within moments a group of four Yonbantai members come running.

"Ma'am?"

"Treat this young man and lock him in one of your available holding cells."

"Hai." Two of them lift Ishida-kun and carry him to their division barracks.

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho, you're getting around today." I turn and smile at Unohana-taicho.

"I'm only trying to minimize the casualties of this. And considering recent events, it's best they are kept alive for interrogation."

"Your Zanpakuto has the ability to heal." I nod.

"Yes, but it is not my specialty, and I think I've annoyed Zenbonyukiro enough recently."

"Annoyed? She is a very pleasant spirit." I smile.

"Unohana-taicho, I don't mean to sound rude, but is there a reason why you personally accompanied that team?"

"I was wondering how you came to be in this area, while there are no other captains or vice captains patrolling this area." Damned investigation. All of the captains, vice captains, and seated officers are questioning every move I make.

"It is for that exact reason. That Ryoka would die if not treated. I sensed him fighting against Kurotsuchi-taicho a few moments ago, and came to investigate. I happened to encounter him here."

"I see. We don't have many open cells, considering there are only three cells, and two are occupied. One by Abarai-fukutaicho and the other by the Ryoka that you assisted Kyouraku-taicho with the other day." I nod.

"Thank you for notifying me of that, Unohana-taicho. I'll be getting back to my division now." She nods.

"Yesterday, a member of my division, as well as one of the Ryoka, were found and brought in. The Ryoka was completely unscathed, and the other was also in the same condition, though I had heard there was a lot of fighting. Do you know about this?"

"If you're talking about the two that made it to Senkyoku yesterday and attempted to remove Kuchiki Rukia from the cell, I'm aware of this. Shiba Ganju and Yamada Hanataro. I prevented a destructive battle and in the process, healed Shiba. The two of them, however, fled immediately after. Is there anything else, Unohana-taicho?"

"You are aware of the investigation. You shouldn't act suspicious if you wish the investigation to end." I nod and walk away. I'm not acting suspicious.


	11. Hinamori

**Dark Blade 10 Hinamori**

"Huh?"

"Something wrong, Nee-chan?" I look towards the Sanbantai office.

"No."

"You're acting weird lately."

"_I'm_ acting weird? Onii-san, you're the one being weird. I've never seen you this annoying."

"Annoying? What's that supposed to mean? You're the one being an annoying kid."

"Kid?" I glare at Onii-san and he lifts his hands.

"You know what I mean. Oh, I heard you put one of the Ryoka in prison. Why'd you do that? If they're your friends…"

"Onii-san, there's no point in trying to get Rukia-chan out of Senkyoku. There will always be someone watching it. The only Ryoka that isn't locked up right now is the idiot. All of the others are aware of the danger in charging head on. By the time they'll be able to help, it'll be time for them to be getting her out for the execution."

"What's that? Someone fighting?"

"Toshiro-kun and Momo-san!" I get up and start to run to the front room of the house.

"Nee-chan, what are you doing?"

"Toshiro-kun…if he's fighting Momo-san, then that means she got out of prison…something's wrong. Those two wouldn't fight over nothing. I have to find out what's going on."

"By the time you get there, the fight will be over."

"Onii-san, that's stupid, what you just said. I'm as fast as you are." I run for the front room and grab my sword off of the hook. I'm still in my uniform, but I don't have my sleeves on. I shake my head and use Shunpo to get to the fight. Toshiro-kun is going after Ichimaru-taicho, and Momo-san is trying to fight Toshiro-kun. I sigh and unsheathe my sword. Crap. I release Zenbonyukiro and slam the blade into the ground, before sending the snow between Toshiro-kun and Momo-san, blocking her attack. I jump up and grab Momo-san, landing with her struggling. I sigh and hit the back of her neck, knocking her out. Toshiro-kun lands and I gather the snow back into my blade. Toshiro-kun goes for his sword and I notice that Momo-san's hands are bleeding.

"She held her Zanpakuto so tightly that it made her hands bleed."

"Huh? I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"I told you, Ichimaru. If you made Hinamori shed even a drop of blood, I'd kill you!" Oh crap. I put up the snow in between the two captains as Toshiro-kun unsheathes Hyorinmaru.

"Toshiro-kun! This isn't the time or place to do this! Even with good cause, captains shouldn't be fighting each other at this time!"

"Yuki…" I gather a bit of snow around Momo-san, healing her hands. It looks like it'll still turn into a fight. Toshiro-kun jumps and releases Hyorinmaru. Immediately, I gather snow around Kira-kun to protect him from the attack. I have to stop this. Oh no. I pull snow around Toshiro-kun to protect him from Ichimaru-taicho's counterattack and run over.

"Toshiro-kun, wasn't it you that told Momo-san not to let emotions take over? Back off. Save it for another time. Please, both of you captains, sheathe your swords and leave it at this." Ichimaru-taicho nods and sheathes his sword. Toshiro-kun does the same and I seal Zenbonyukiro, sheathing her as well. I walk over and pick up Momo-san. Toshiro-kun walks with me and we leave, taking Momo-san back to the detention cells. I set her in a cell and face Toshiro-kun.

"Why did you step in back there? I understand you protecting me and Kira, but…"

"Toshiro-kun, you're my friend. To be quite honest, I'd rather not see any fighting happen. There's something going behind the scenes. Ichimaru might play a big part in it, he might not. Either way, it has something to do with Aizen-taicho's death, the execution, and the fact that someone wanted Momo-san to kill you. We should be working to figure out what's going on, rather than fighting."

"That why you've made sure that all of the Ryoka, except two, are locked up?" I nod. "Yuki, you need to be careful. With that investigation on you going on, you have to stay out of trouble."

"Who said I'd be getting into trouble? Word of advice, she might try to come at you again, unless someone can convince her of the truth, you might want to make sure her Reiatsu is sealed…"

"Yea. Thanks for your help, Yuki." I nod and leave, going home. I hang Zenbonyukiro up and stare at Onii-san.

"Well?" I sigh.

"No one was hurt; I stopped the fight before it got too bad. Is there a reason why you're staring at me, Onii-san?"

"There's only one day left."

"Until…? Oh, I knew that. You didn't already know? They pushed it up yesterday."

"Will your friend be able to stop it?"

"Knowing Kurosaki-kun…probably not…but he's with Yoruichi-san, I'm sure she's worked out some sort of insane plan with Urahara. If not, then I think that Ukitake-taicho has a plan. I'm not counting on Kurosaki."

"Do you know how he reacquired his Shinigami powers?"

"Again, probably some insane plan from Urahara."

"Nee-chan, you're planning something stupid aren't you?"

"Why would _I_ do something stupid, Onii-san? Have you ever known me to act stupid?"

"You're getting a big head because the only person in Soul Society that isn't afraid of you is the commander."

"No. I'm just saying." I walk past Onii-san and head for my room. I get out of my uniform and lay down, staring at the ceiling. The day after tomorrow at noon. We have to stop the execution.


	12. Kaiendono

**Dark Blade 11 Kaien-dono**

_"Hey, you're that Kuchiki kid, right?"_

_"Um, yes, Sir. Kuchiki Shirayuki desu. Hajimemashite." I bow and the guy laughs._

_"Shiba Kaien desu. I'm the vice captain of Jyuusanbantai. Nice to meet you too. The captain is sick right now, so I'm in charge. Did you take the entry test?"_

_"Ah, yes Sir."_

_"You make a seat or not? I forget. The third seat's helping out and she's got that handled."_

_"Um, goseki, Sir."_

_"Gosh, quit it with the 'Sir' already. Mataku."_

_"Anno…Kaien-dono?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Sorry, you said to stop calling you 'Sir' so…" He ruffles my hair._

_"You're a funny kid, Kuchiki."_

_"Onii-san, my first day went well."_

_"That's good. What seat?"_

_"Five."_

_"Kay, sorry, Nee-chan, I'm busy."_

_"It's okay, Onii-san. I'll see you later."_

_"Kaien-dono, there's a new recruit in the waiting room. I'll take care of Ukitake-taicho while you handle her."_

_"Thanks, Kuchiki." Kaien-dono leaves the room and I get out an ice pack for Ukitake-taicho._

_"Nii-sama, Onee-sama. My first evening in the Jyuusanbantai has ended peacefully." I look over my shoulder. So Rukia-chan was the new recruit from earlier? I wonder why Kaien-dono didn't tell me._

_"Oh."_

_"What seat?"_

_"None. I'm very sorry…with my ability…I couldn't…become a seated officer upon joining the division…"_

_"I see."_

_"You may leave." She leaves and I glare at Onii-san._

_"That was rude. It's your fault. She could easily have made it to at least sixth seat if you hadn't requested that Rukia-chan be made ineligible for that."_

_"You didn't realize she was in your division?"_

_"I suppose it slipped Kaien-dono's mind earlier."_

_"Ukitake-taicho! Kaien-dono!"_

_"Kuchiki, what's up with you? You're all covered in blood."_

_"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything. We were scouting, and the hollow we were observing attacked."_

_"The blood…is it yours?"_

_"No."_

_"Where are the others?"_

_"Being brought in. I'm so sorry, Kaien-dono…I tried to use Zenbonyukiro to keep everyone safe, but…" I gasp when Ukitake-taicho hugs me, to calm me down._

_"Don't beat yourself up over it, Kuchiki." I nod and wriggle away._

_"So…everyone…?" I nod._

_"Hai. I was the only one to survive. I couldn't assess the enemy's abilities though. I think the only reason I survived was that I injured it and it had to retreat."_

_"We'll form an assault squad that will be ready in 2 days." Kaien-dono starts for the door. "Wait, Kaien! Calm down!"_

_"We don't know anything about the enemy's abilities! We don't know its name, appearance, or abilities…therefore; you want me to just sit here like an idiot and wait…? Leave everything to the assault squad…and just hide in here…?"_

_"We know two things about the enemy…it doesn't travel around. It stays in it lair, and hunts within a certain area. The other thing we know is the location of its lair."_

_"Then lead the way, Kuchiki." I nod and we leave. Rukia comes with us._

_"I smell…fresh meat…doesn't smell too bright though! Should be tasteful nonetheless!" The hollow starts laughing and I shudder, remembering the same laughter as it slaughtered the team._

_"Kaien-dono, let me scope out his abilities first…"_

_"Captain, permission to…fight it alone." What? Alone? Against…oh. I should probably stop him, but I'd just lose and he'd be even more determined._

_"Granted." Oh no._

_"Kaien-dono, I just remembered. Somehow, the first person that came in contact with those tentacles…" He jumps down and starts to attack._

_"What?"_

_"His Zanpakuto was destroyed, just by making contact with those tentacles. But it was just the first one that came in contact with it."_

_"How? That's impossible."_

_"I thought that too. I can't believe I forgot it until just now. Oh no." Kaien-dono attacks the hollow, jumping onto its back and going to slice it in half from behind. He's holding one of the tentacles. I wince as his Zanpakuto shatters._

_"Kaien-dono!" Rukia goes for her Zanpakuto, to help, and both Ukitake-taicho and I hold her back. Ukitake-taicho grabs her wrist, keeping her from drawing her sword, and I grab her shoulder. "Captain! Onee-sama! Please…let go of me! Kaien-dono…if we don't help Kaien-dono…"_

_"If we help him…what will happen to his pride? Surely, if you jump in now, you can save his life. However, at the same time, you will also have murdered his pride."_

_"Pride is not important…in comparison to life!"_

_"Rukia-chan."_

_"Remember this. There are two types of fights. Whenever we are in battle, we must be one of the two. The fight for life or the fight for pride. Right now…he's fighting for pride! His wife's pride…his men's pride…most importantly, his own personal pride. Dismiss this as his stubbornness…and let him fight on alone like this." Rukia nods and backs down. We watch and I gasp when the tentacles go inside Kaien-dono's arm._

_"Kaien-dono!"_

_"Yes? You called…Ojou-san?" Kaien-dono turns and I gasp._

_"Ka-Kaien-dono…"_

_"Why do you keep calling my name? Am I that popular with the girls?" He looks up and I step back slightly. The hollow possessed his body. "Since you like me so much…let me eat you!" I pull out Zenbonyukiro and block him from attacking Rukia._

_"Oh no you don't!"_

_"Onee-sama…"_

_"Run, Rukia-chan!"_

_"Ah…"_

_"Start running! Do you want to die?!" She turns and runs away, crying. I slide my sword out of Kaien-dono's mouth and get ready. "Captain, please leave as well. I would like to handle this on my own. And you don't need to stress yourself too much." He nods and starts after Rukia. Kaien-dono starts to follow them and I keep pace with him._

_"Why don't you attack already? Oh, I know. You're trying to figure out how to kill me, without hurting your friend." I smirk and run at him._

_"Not at all. I was waiting for you to start talking." I attack him, running past and barely managing not to slice his head off._

_"Oh, you'll attack a comrade? Without hesitation."_

_"You may inhabit the body of my comrade; however, you are not him. You are a filthy creature that would stoop to this level to win a fight. I'll have you know, I am not the type that would hesitate to attack and kill my own brother if he were your victim. Dream, Zenbonyukiro." He hits my sword, and starts laughing when it shatters upon impact._

_"What a pathetic Zanpakuto! If it shatters after one hit!"_

_"Heh, look around you." He looks around and notices the snow._

_"What's this…snow?" I nod and gather the snow around him, slicing him to bits. I pull back and make sure he's dead. The hollow, as well as Kaien-dono. Rukia-chan and Ukitake-taicho show up and I stare at them._

_"I thought you were retreating."_

_"You had problems last night…"_

_"It's over. Both…the hollow, and Kaien-dono…are dead."_

_"You couldn't separate…"_

_"No. That was clear in the beginning. Kaien-dono is a soul, technically, so was the hollow. They were fused; the only way to kill one was to kill the other."_

_"Thanks…" Huh?_

_"I guess I was wrong."_

_"For…letting me fight till the end…"_

I sit up. Why am I dreaming about that? Is it because the Shiba blamed Rukia-chan for Kaien-dono's death, and so she feels horrible? Or is it because of this strange hopelessness I've felt since the execution got pushed up? I hope that Kurosaki-kun managed to gain Bankai. I get dressed and head for the office. Whatever we do to save Rukia-chan, it has to be today.


	13. Rescue!

**Dark Blade 12 Rescue****‼**

"Are you almost ready?"

"Hold on. I have to dig this out. Why don't you go let your friend out of the holding cell? Send her and Kiyone to get your other friends out as well."

"Ukitake-taicho, what are you thinking of?"

"Just do it. They can probably help." I sigh and wave my hand at Kiyone, who happened to be passing.

"Kiyone-chan!"

"Ma'am?!"

"Go let that Ryoka out. And then go with her to free her companions from the Yonbantai holding cells."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, Kiyone."

"Ah, Hai." She runs off and I knock on Ukitake-taicho's door again.

"Ukitake-taicho, do you need some help?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You're taking an awfully long time to get ready…what exactly is your plan?"

"I'm sure. You'll see when I'm ready. Looks like someone's fighting."

"Yea."

"Can you tell who?"

"Kenpachi, Tousen, and Komamura. Yumichika and Hisagi. Ikkaku and Iba. And Onii-san and Renji."

"This early? What's spurring it, you think?"

"Considering what's happening. Kenpachi-kun is probably looking for Kurosaki-kun, for a rematch. He doesn't care about the execution. And I'll bet that Ikkaku and Yumichika followed him. For the last fight though…I have no clue. Oh, Renji-kun's using Bankai. That's interesting."

"Feels like it's over now."

"Yea. I hope Renji survives. There really shouldn't be any more casualties with this. Are you ready yet, Ukitake-taicho?"

"Almost. Be patient."

"Oh, it feels like the other captains are using Bankai as well, first Tousen, and now Komamura. And Yumichika's won his fight already. And I think that Iba and Ikkaku are taking a sake break. Can you hurry up? It's almost noon, Ukitake-taicho. It's starting! Hurry up! What are you doing in there anyways?"

"Hold on. I'm almost there. Got it. It took longer to release the seal than I thought. But…this should do it…! Since appealing to the central government wouldn't work…this is the only way…let's go…and destroy the Senkyoku."

"So that's your big plan? Destroy the Senkyoku…? I like it! Let's go!" We leave and hurry to the Senkyoku. "Looks like Kurosaki-kun beat us here."

"We can still destroy Senkyoku. It'll turn into a fight, you realize that? I know that you usually don't like to fight except for fun."

"For this, to save my sister, I can handle it. And I think I've got it slightly figured out, that conspiracy. It's Aizen."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that, it's Aizen. I got to thinking and I remembered that Urahara had created this thing that would allow a Shinigami to receive Hollow powers, while retaining his Zanpakuto. I think that this whole thing revolves around that object."

"What does it have to do with Rukia though?"

"I'm not sure. Though I have a feeling that if I'm right, Aizen will show up today and explain it himself. We'll all be in the clear. Even the Ryoka, hopefully. Let's get this done!" We get there and Ukitake-taicho starts.

"U-Ukitake-taicho?! And Kuchiki-fukutaicho?!" Shunsui-taicho goes to the other side to help.

"Hey handsome. You like to make people wait for you, don't you?"

"Kyouraku-taicho!"

"Sorry. Breaking the seal took longer than expected. It didn't help that the entire time, Yuki was yelling for me to hurry." I scratch my head and smile. "But…we can still do this just fine."

"Stop him!"

"Eh? You talking to me?!"

"Those two are trying to destroy Senkyoku!"

"Too late." They destroy the giant weapon and I grab the hilt of Zenbonyukiro, ready to take on anyone that comes. The ground shakes and the execution stand blows up slightly. I look up and spot Kurosaki-kun, carrying Rukia-chan like a bag of potatoes. My eye twitches and I sigh. So he managed to master Bankai in the three day period, less than that actually. "Ukitake-taicho, your mouth is hanging open. I told you, that guy's strong."

"Who is he?!"

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Oh, Renji, you made it too! It's a party!"

"Yea, yea, at this rate, it's pick your opponent and fight it out." I grin.

"We'll just have to see who gets first pick then."

"You're such a lunatic sometimes."

"Maybe I should've been in Jyuuichibantai?"

"Maybe. What is he doing?"

"Oh shit. See you in a minute." I run towards the stand and jump over the captains, running at the post and jumping. "Yo."

"What do you want?"

"For you to not throw my sister at Renji. Because I know that's what you had planned." I take Rukia-chan from Kurosaki-kun and use Shunpo to get back over to Renji. "Change of plan. Take Rukia-chan and run for the hills, Renji. Head for my place. Meet you there." He nods and picks Rukia up, running for it. I stand in the way, to keep the others from going after him.

"A-Abarai…"

"Why are you standing there like an idiot?! Go after them! That means all of you vice captains!" I smirk.

"Let's see, Isane-san, the Fatso, and the weirdo. I can take all of you on my own."

"What are you doing, Kuchiki-fukutaicho?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm helping to save my _sister_. I don't think you'll get past me, guys."

"This is a game for you right now, right?"

"You got it. That's the only way I can fight seriously. Go ahead and draw your swords. I'm not gonna whack a bunch of unarmed losers." They draw their Zanpakuto.

"Dash, Itegumo!"

"Drill, Gonryoumaru!"

"Smash her to bits, Gegetsuburi!" I sigh and draw Zenbonyukiro.

"Dream, Zenbonyukiro." I've figured out how to separate the snow without hitting anything. I get the blade half way out of the sheathe and send snow flying at them, engulfing all three of them and making the white snow mix with red blood. "And, that's the end of the dream." I gather the snow back up and return Zenbonyukiro to the sheathe. Huh? I bend over and dodge an attack. Then I notice who the attacker is. "Onii-san! What's your problem?!"

He backs up and watches me. I glare at him and start to unsheathe my sword.

"Make me fight anyone, just not you, Onii-san. I'd hate to raise my sword against a family member." Kurosaki-kun jumps down, landing between me and Onii-san.

"Why…why do you so persistently try to save Rukia?"

"I'm the one who should be asking questions…aren't you Rukia's older brother?! And Kuchiki-san's? Why aren't you doing anything to save Rukia, and then attacking Kuchiki-san?!"

"What a pointless question…! Even if…I tell you the answer to that question, you wouldn't be able to understand. It is useless to continue this empty dialogue. Here I come." Oh crap. Behind…who? Who will he go after first? Me or Kurosaki-kun? Me! I pull Zenbonyukiro out of the sheathe enough to block the attack and get out of the way. I can see it in his eyes; he's fighting himself over this. There's an internal argument going on in Onii-san's head right now. He's conflicted about this…my betrayal…and the execution…everything. I glance back as Soi Fon-taicho comes up behind me. I smirk and look over my shoulder at her.

"Can I help you, Soi Fon-taicho?"

"No! Soi Fon!" I glance over at Ukitake-taicho and roll my eyes when Shunsui-taicho carries him off, followed by Yama-jii. I block a kick from Soi Fon-taicho and back up.

"You have a death wish, Soi-Fon-taicho? I'm kind of pissed now."

"Heh, don't sound so full of yourself, Scum."

"Scum? Really? Now that really pisses me off." I unleash Zenbonyukiro. "Bankai." I roll my neck and smile when Zenbonyukiro's spirit lands on my shoulder. "Let's take this elsewhere, huh? Give the guys some room to have a decent fight." I jump into the air, expecting Soi Fon to follow me, she does and I lead her down to the base of the cliff. The area fills with snow and I smirk.

"You're wasting your energy, already using Bankai. And using your Shikai like it's nothing."

"That's because it's not. Guess what? You're staring at an empty space." I wave at her from a tree branch and she advances at me. "Where are you aiming?" I move using Shunpo, confusing her. This time when she comes at me, I block her with my right arm, directing a Kidou blast at her. She draws her sword and I look around. A bunch of Nibantai members appear around me and I sigh. "You know…that's pointless with this entire area engulfed in my snow." I use the snow around me to attack every enemy at the same time, knocking them all out. "I don't even have to move to beat you. So boring. I'm tempted to leave now." I hope that Ukitake-taicho and Shunsui-taicho are okay. Fighting against Yama-jii like that…I'd be terrified.

_Let's stay; I want to see what her Suzumebachi can do._ I laugh slightly and nod.

"Then we stay. Time to play, huh?"

_Yep! Let's go!_ Soi Fon-taicho rips her sleeves off and pulls her coat off, revealing a uniform cut the same as mine.

"It's strange that you would wear the standard uniform for the commander of the Executive Militia, Kuchiki. And by the look on your face, you didn't realize that."

"Heh, I get claustrophobic in the standard uniform. Now, enough chatter. Let's get this over with. I want to see my brother's fight." She comes at me and starts attacking. I block and dodge every hit and get back. "You're fast."

"So are you. It ends here though. Jintekishakusatsu, Suzumebachi." I smirk and hold my blade in front of me.

"Bring it on."

_Let's see, interesting. Don't get hit twice in the same spot. It's like a poison, at the tip of the blade. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, with my ice, though._ I nod slightly and get ready for her attack. I block her hit and she hits the ice around my stomach. It doesn't go through. She jumps back and stares at me.

"I hit you."

"Really? I didn't notice anything."


	14. Invincible

**Dark Blade 13 Invincible**

"How? How are you not affected by my attack?!"

"Um let's see…when using Bankai, I'm invincible. The ice is as solid as steel and stronger against Spiritual Attacks, both physical and Kidou, than Sekiseki stone."

"But that would mean you can't use your own Kidou!"

"Really? I said _against_. Nothing else. I can use all the Kidou I want with my right hand and it will have no effect on the potency of my attack. You, however, won't be able to break the ice with anything."

"It's amazing. You have the skills specific for almost every division, all bunched into one person. I'm surprised you haven't defeated the commander in battle. Unless your ice isn't really impervious."

"Against Yama-jii's Fire element sword? Yea, it's like that. Anyways. It's over. Time to end the dream, Zenbonyukiro!" I lift the snow around Soi Fon-taicho and run forward, running my blade along the ground, creating a trail of ice behind me. "Oh, that's right, only a few captains have forced me to use my Bankai. So not many know about the fact that my blade turns anything it touches to ice." I swipe the blade across her stomach, not cutting, just freezing her. I nod to myself and sheathe my sword. "I won't kill you, Soi Fon-taicho. But I win. I'm sure someone will find you when the ice melts."

I jump up and run back to watch the fight between Onii-san and Kurosaki-kun. The damage! Already?! And Kurosaki-kun is matching Onii-san step for step. Wow. So he advanced that much? I find a high place and watch. It's a good thing I got high. Onii-san just released Zenbonzakura. Huh?! I cover my face as dust starts to fly. What happened? The dust starts to clear and the first person I see is Onii-san. What? No way, Kurosaki-kun knocked Onii-san's glove off with that hit? There's a giant line running through the ground beside Onii-san.

"What was that attack? Zangetsu-san's ability?" If that attack, whatever it is, heads in my direction, I'll have to get out of the way. It looks like Zangetsu-san is a Kidou base.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Were they talking? I can't hear. Maybe I should move closer. Never mind, Onii-san is dropping his sword. He knows that I'm up here, but from before…I don't know if he won't bother to keep his blades away from me.

"Zenbonzakura Kageyoshi." I shudder, I've only seen that once, and it was in a practice fight just after I mastered my Bankai. I was extremely grateful to Zenbonyukiro that her ice is invincible.

"What is it with you Kuchiki and the sword names starting with 'Zenbon'?" I almost laugh when Kurosaki-kun uses that attack again. Onii-san has as much control over those blades as I do over the snow. The attack hits a wall of Onii-san's blades and I sigh. I'm glad I came up here to watch. The blades come around and attack Kurosaki-kun, he can't block it. Hurry up and use Bankai, Kurosaki-kun, you won't be able to survive against Onii-san's Bankai using Zangetsu-san's Shikai alone. Again with the dust? "Bankai!"

Haha! Yes! I cover my eyes and wait for the dust to settle. I can clearly see Onii-san's expression. He's in shock. Is Zangetsu-san's Bankai even bigger than the other two forms? I spot Kurosaki-kun through the dust. Wow. The blade is solid black, and so small. Even his clothes changed. That's rare, for a Shinigami to have such a drastic change in their appearance with Bankai. Kind of hot. I shake my head. I wonder how powerful that Getsuga Tenshou attack is now. A lot of times, a powerful attack like that will become even stronger in Bankai. His sword is so small. And it was so big sealed.

"That small thing? You're joking right? That's just the normal sealed form of your Zanpakuto." I shake my head and lock eyes with Onii-san.

"That's his Bankai. I've seen the sealed form of Zangetsu. It was huge." He nods slightly, trusting me. This is about to get really dangerous. I should either leave or step in and stop it before either of them end up seriously hurt. I think I'll just watch and see what happens. Kurosaki-kun's way faster now. Did releasing Bankai increase his speed as well? At that speed, Onii-san will have to control his blade with his hands, not just his mind. There. He's got him. What?! Kurosaki-kun is deflecting it with his sword! I can't follow it…it looks like a black transparent shield surrounding him. Huh? Kurosaki-kun disappeared. Oh! He's behind Onii-san! "Onii-san!" I start to jump in and stop the fight and Onii-san glares at me.

"Stay out of this, Nee-chan." I nod slowly and settle back down to watch.

"Senkei, Zenbonzakura Kageyoshi." I'm the only person that's ever seen this. And that's because I forced him to in a practice fight. I can't see through the rows of swords! But I know what's going to happen. Kurosaki-kun won't come out of that alive. I can hear the connection of swords. I guess I'll just have to wait until it's over. What?! Kidou? That's…Byakurai! What did Onii-san hit? His shoulder? Heart? What?! What is that? Kurosaki-kun's Reiatsu just turned towards the Hollow side. That laughter…coming from that fight…it's like a hollow.

"Onii-san!!" What is that black light?! Is that the Bankai version of Getsuga Tenshou? I have to…no. Onii-san said to stay out of it. "If you kill my brother, Kurosaki-kun…I'll kill you. Friends or not…it's unforgivable if you kill Onii-san." What? It feels like Kurosaki-kun is struggling against the Hollow. Did he become a Visored when he regained his Shinigami powers? Dust clears and I can see. Onii-san is all cut up! What just happened over there? I cover my eyes as light reflects blindingly off of Onii-san's final attack. I uncover my eyes and scream. "Onii-san!" They both got hit. I jump down and run over, catching Onii-san. "Onii-san, are you okay?" He nods and looks over his shoulder at Kurosaki-kun.

"You wanted to know…the reason for my support of Rukia's death. One, who commits a crime, must suffer the consequences. If one is sentenced to death, the execution must take place. Those are…the rules." "Just for a rule…you would kill someone…even if she is your own sister…?!"

"Are you referring to some sort of sibling bond? In the light of rules, things like that don't exist. The Kuchiki family is one of the four noble families. We are the role models for all Shinigami. If we do not obey the rules. Who will?"

"Sorry, I still don't get it. Looks like you're the only one that follows the rules. If I was you…I definitely would fight the rules." He sounds like Kaien-dono…I shake my head and hug Onii-san.

"Kurosaki Ichigo…your liberalness…shattered my blade. Therefore…I can no longer pursue Rukia. The victor of this battle…is you." That does it.

"Sit down, both of you. Before you kill yourselves."

"You sound like you're from Yonbantai."

"Shut up or I'll add an injury, Onii-san."  
"Do you have multiple personalities or something, Kuchiki-san?" I glare at Kurosaki-kun.

"You want a sock to the head too, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Nope." He sits down and shuts up. I laugh and unsheathe Zenbonyukiro, releasing her halfway out of the sheathe.

_Again with the healing? Why don't you leave that to the Yonbantai? Oh, never mind. I see. You owe me an explanation of Zangetsu-san's powers! Since I couldn't watch with you._ I sigh and pluck her out of the air.

"If you'll wait, I'll bet you can get the explanation from Zangetsu-san himself." She pouts and squirms out of my hand, landing on Onii-san's head.

_You're mean. I don't want to…hey wait a minute. That's not a bad idea._ I roll my eyes.

"Before you go off talking to anyone, get these two healed, you little rat." She sticks out her tongue and sends a blast of snow at my face.

"Listen you little temper mental brat! I will seal you back up and not tell you anything about the fight."

_Yea, yea. Is it just these two?_ I nod and snow surrounds the two guys, healing them.

"Thank you." Zenbonyukiro waves her hand and flies over to Kurosaki-kun.

"What the hell is that?!"

"_She_ is Zenbonyukiro. You saw her the other day. Bakayaro." I sit down beside Onii-san. "Oh! Orihime-chan!" I get up and run over, hugging her.

"Hey guys! No problems I hope?"

"Not at all. Kiyone-san was very helpful."

"What happened here, Kuchiki-fukutaicho? What the?!" We all look back and I gasp. "Aizen-taicho…no way…"


	15. Deception

**Dark Blade 14 Deception**

And Ichimaru-taicho. I knew it. I knew it had something to do with Aizen. Wait. Where's Toshiro-kun? I close my eyes and search for him. Found him! In the Central 46 building. I get up and seal Zenbonyukiro.

"Sorry to interrupt the conversation." I jump off of the hill and use Shunpo to get to Toshiro-kun. "Toshiro-kun!" I run over and turn him over. "Toshiro-kun! Answer me!"

"Hinamori…she's…" I look around and notice that I can sense Momo here as well.

"Don't talk. I'm just glad you're alive."

"You responded quickly, Kuchiki-fukutaicho."

"Unohana-taicho. Isane-san."

"I assume that since you're here, you will assist?"

"Of course. Though I can handle them both at the same time, Unohana-taicho. If you don't mind."

"Not at all. Go right ahead." I nod and release Zenbonyukiro.

_Again with the healing? And there's Yonbantai here! You pulled me away from a very interesting conversation with Zangetsu-san for this?!_ I sigh and direct the snow around Toshiro-kun and Momo-san.

"Quit your yapping, Zenbonyukiro. You'll get over it soon enough."

"You have some very interesting conversations with Zenbonyukiro-san. How is it that she becomes visible at times like this?"

"Who knows? I think she just likes a good fight. Momo-san…I can't fully heal her. But she's not going to die. And Toshiro-kun will be fine."

"Then I'll have Hinamori-fukutaicho transferred for further medical treatment." I nod slightly and seal my blade.

"Oh! There's a fight…at Senkyoku…"

"Isane and I will take care of Hitsugaya-taicho and Hinamori-fukutaicho. See if you can help against Aizen."

"Hai." I use Shunpo and go back to the hill.

"Great! I just got you healed up, Kurosaki-kun! Hey, get behind me guys. Renji, don't let go of Rukia if it costs you your life, huh."

"So, you're back, Shirayuki-kun."

"Yea, yea, go die for real this time. Bankai. Shirayume Zenbonyukiro."

"Never heard you call the name like that."

"Heh, good, then you can die with no regrets." I pull snow up in front of Renji and Kurosaki, protecting them, and then I send some careening at Aizen. He dodges and I run at him, attacking with my blade. I land the hit and his leg turns to ice. I jump back and watch him, if he recovers from that…what? Where did he go? Renji! I concentrate the snow around Kurosaki-kun and Renji. "You're after the Hougyoku, right, Aizen? I thought it was strange, the feeling I got from that Gigai that Rukia-chan was in."

"So, how much do you, a little kid, know about it?"

"I know that you are up to no good and need to be eliminated. The same goes for Ichimaru and Tousen. And on top of that, you've pissed me off, first trying to get my little sister executed, and then hurting my friends on multiple occasions."

"And you think you can defeat all three of us? Captains."

"Of course." I spin the blade in my hand and smirk. "Senkai. Akaume Zenbonyukiro."

"Senkai? Who are you fooling?" I smirk and the air in front of me shimmers with ice crystals.

"No one." I sweep the blade through the air, sending a blast of ice at Aizen. "I've discovered something about my Zanpakuto. While most only have two releases to their Zanpakuto, Zenbonyukiro has three. Shikai, Bankai, and Senkai. Each adds an ability involving ice and snow to the original attacks. While in Shikai, there is simply snow, Bankai, the blade and shield of ice are added, for Senkai, along with those abilities, I can now turn anything in the air in front of and around my blade into ice. You're dead."

"Scary. But, I don't think so." I smirk and swing the sword, sending a blast of ice at Tousen and Ichimaru. Both barely manage to dodge.

"Too slow." I use Shunpo and get behind them. I attack all three instantly and stop at the same place I started. "Did I mention? This release also increases my speed." Huh? Somehow, Aizen gets past my snow and gets hold of Rukia. "Rukia-chan!" Aizen does something to his arm and punches through Rukia's chest. He pulls out his hand and holds up a small ball. Is that the Hougyoku?

"Kill her."

"It can't be helped. Shoot her, Shinsou." Shit. I pull snow up in front of Rukia and Onii-san grabs her. Before I have a chance to protect them both, Ichimaru changes the direction of his attack and stabs Onii-san. I run over and catch Onii-san.

"Nii-sama?!"

"Onii-san." I turn around and face the three traitors. "This…is the last straw. You're going to die here."

"Really?"

"Yes." Yoruichi-san and Soi Fon-taicho block Aizen from moving. I turn and stare at the three gate guardians that show up.

"So even those three…" Jidanbo and Kukaku-san show up and attack the three of them. The rest of the captains and vice captains show up and surround Aizen, Tousen, and Ichimaru. I sigh and seal my sword. Looks like I won't be able to get any more fun out of this. What's that?

"Yoruichi-san! Soi Fon-taicho! Get back!" They jump back as a light surrounds Aizen. A hand rips a hole through the sky and I gasp. A Menos. So many of them too.

"Gillian! Just how many of them are there?!"

"Looks like there's something else there." Lights shoot out of the sky and surround Ichimaru and Tousen, causing Rangiku and Hisagi to jump back. They disappear and I turn to Onii-san. He's not severely injured; it's just a deep stab wound. I touch Rukia's shoulder and let the Yonbantai help Onii-san.

"Nii-sama…Nii-sama…"

"It's okay, Rukia-chan. He's not as injured as it looks. He just passed out in exhaustion." I pull her back to give them room to heal that stab.

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho."

"Yes?"

"Though Kuchiki-taicho is covered in blood, it seems that his only wound is a deep stab, from Ichimaru-taicho's blade. Why is that?"

"I healed him after his fight with the Ryoka." Unohana-taicho arrives and walks over to Onii-san. She looks up and smiles.

"Rukia-chan, I think that Onii-san wants to talk to you." She nods and walks over.

"Yes…Nii-sama." I turn around, crying. He's telling her about Hisana-san. I walk over to Orihime-chan.

"Well?"

"Oh, looks like you healed most of it, Kuchiki-san."

"Were you able to get Tsubaki-kun healed before?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"No problem. I was under investigation, so I couldn't help any more than putting you out of harm's way. And the others…it got you guys closer to here. Sorry about before, Sado-kun."

"No problem."

"Hey, why're you crying?"

"Onii-san…he's telling Rukia about his wife. She passed away fifty years ago…Orihime-chan, are you okay? You look tired."

"I'm fine. Almost finished."

"That's good."

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho." I turn around and bow to Unohana-taicho.

"Ma'am?"

"I thought you would like to know that Hitsugaya-taicho and Hinamori are at the hospital, stable."

"Thank you."

"And we're done treating Kuchiki-taicho. You should take him home to rest."

"Hai." I walk over and help Onii-san up. "Let's go home, Rukia-chan. Oh! You guys can stay at our place for a while, while everyone's resting up and stuff."

"What?!"

"Onii-san, that's my ear. And they're my friends. And you can't stop me from inviting my friends over. Let's go." We leave and head home.


	16. Notice

**HIATUS/REWRITE NOTICE**

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! Rewrite Notice !

Because I have been improving my writing style and I am dissatisfied with the current state of the following stories:

Cherry Blossom's Late Bloom, Dark Blade, Digital Dream, Eagle Spark, Emily and the Olympians (To be retitled 'Raising a Hero'), Lost in Spira (To be retitled 'The Secret Summoner'), Narissa and the Olympians (To be retitled 'Unwilling Hero'), Sword Transcending Time (To be retitled 'Queen Blades'), Tsubasa no Tenshi Angel Wings (To be retitled 'Tenshi no Tsubasa o'), Yuuki's Story

I'm rewriting them from almost scratch. I am also re-playing/reading/watching the series this is based on so as to be more accurate in non-au situations.

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! Hiatus Notice !

Because I'm either rewriting the story or it's on my hard drive that is currently out of commission, all of my stories except completed stories and:

Tails of a Copy Cat

Are on hiatus until further notice. I promise that I will have my hard drive fixed as soon as possible so I can get back to work on my older stories.

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! THIS CHAPTER WILL BE DELETED WHEN I ADD NEW CONTENT !


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